Land use in Liberia
Liberia: Land use was 700,000 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
700,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
122nd
of 224 countries
All-time high
710,000 hectares
in 2012
All-time low
500,000 hectares
in 1990
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Liberia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Liberia stood at 700,000 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Liberia peaked at 710,000 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 500,000 hectares, in 1990.
That places Liberia 122nd out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Liberia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 583,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 581,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 581,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 578,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 578,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 575,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 575,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 573,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 573,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 571,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 571,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 571,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 571,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 571,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 571,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 571,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 576,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 576,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 576,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 576,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 576,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 580,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 585,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 586,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 588,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 597,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 603,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 600,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 600,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 500,000 hectares | -16.7% |
| 1991 | 500,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 500,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 500,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 500,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 500,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 500,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 520,000 hectares | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 560,000 hectares | +7.7% |
| 1999 | 590,000 hectares | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 610,000 hectares | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 610,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 610,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 610,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 615,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 615,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 615,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 615,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 630,000 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 650,000 hectares | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 660,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 705,000 hectares | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 710,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 710,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 710,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 700,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 700,000 hectares | +0.0% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 700,000 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 3.60 million hectares, 19% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 700,000 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 22% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 577,444 hectares | 573,000 hectares | 583,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 572,500 hectares | 571,000 hectares | 576,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 589,100 hectares | 576,000 hectares | 603,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 517,000 hectares | 500,000 hectares | 590,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 618,000 hectares | 610,000 hectares | 650,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 699,500 hectares | 660,000 hectares | 710,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 700,000 hectares | 700,000 hectares | 700,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More environment data for Liberia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.21 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.28 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.221 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.42 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.261 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Liberia?
- Land use in Liberia was 700,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 710,000 hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 500,000 hectares in 1990.
- How does Liberia rank for land use?
- Liberia ranks 122nd out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Liberia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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