Food imports in Liberia
Liberia: Food imports was 23.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Liberia, 1963–2023
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Liberia recorded 23.1% for food imports in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.4% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Liberia peaked at 28.3% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.8%, in 1976.
Liberia ranks 37th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Food imports in Liberia, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 18.4% | — |
| 1967 | 17.1% | -7.4% |
| 1970 | 16.9% | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 18.4% | +8.8% |
| 1972 | 17.1% | -7.1% |
| 1973 | 18.4% | +7.5% |
| 1974 | 15.8% | -13.9% |
| 1975 | 13.9% | -12.2% |
| 1976 | 12.8% | -7.9% |
| 1977 | 14.9% | +17.0% |
| 1978 | 17.0% | +13.7% |
| 1979 | 18.2% | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 18.9% | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 22.3% | +18.0% |
| 1982 | 22.3% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 26.1% | +16.7% |
| 1984 | 25.0% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 26.6% | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 21.8% | -17.8% |
| 2019 | 28.3% | +29.4% |
| 2020 | 25.9% | -8.5% |
| 2021 | 26.4% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | -7.6% |
| 2023 | 23.1% | -5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.8% | 17.1% | 18.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 16.3% | 12.8% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.9% | 18.9% | 26.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 25.6% | 21.8% | 28.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 25.0% | 23.1% | 26.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More private sector data for Liberia
- Merchandise trade 87.0% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 42.8% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 2.49 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 24.5% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 9.9% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 2.07 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 360.83 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3942 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 57.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 435.16 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Liberia?
- Food imports in Liberia was 23.1% in 2023, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 2019.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.8% in 1976.
- How does Liberia rank for food imports?
- Liberia ranks 37th out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Liberia data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.