Liberia Trade & Investment Profile: FY2024–2026
Liberia's total merchandise exports reached USD 2.57B in 2024, rising to USD 3.18B in 2025, driven by iron ore and gold. The trade deficit narrowed from USD -363M to USD -240M. FDI inflows grew from USD 485M to USD 520M. Remittances — at USD 710M in 2025 — remain a critical stabilizer. China and the EU are top trading partners.
Trade & Investment: FY2024–2026
Export Performance
Total merchandise exports rose from USD 2.57 billion in 2024 to USD 3.18 billion in 2025 (+23.7%), driven primarily by the iron ore production boom. Iron ore, gold, rubber, and timber together account for over 70% of export earnings. The EU and China are the primary destination markets.
Import Profile
Total imports grew from USD 2.93B (2024) to USD 3.42B (2025), with petroleum products, machinery, food, and consumer goods as leading import categories. Despite rising imports, the trade deficit narrowed from USD -363M to USD -240M as export growth outpaced import growth.
Foreign Direct Investment
FDI inflows increased from USD 485M (2024) to USD 520M (2025), with the mining sector capturing approximately 74% of total FDI (USD 385M). Manufacturing and oil & gas exploration attracted smaller but growing shares. FDI is projected at USD 560M in 2026.
Remittances
Remittances from the Liberian diaspora — primarily in the United States — reached USD 672M in 2024 and USD 710M in 2025, making them a larger foreign exchange earner than most goods exports and a crucial buffer for households and the current account.
Key Trading Partners
China (iron ore, timber), the European Union (rubber, cocoa, palm oil, timber), Switzerland (gold and diamonds), the United States (diverse goods and services), and the UAE are Liberia's top five trading partners.
Outlook
Total exports are projected at USD 3.65B in 2026 with continued iron ore expansion. The current account deficit is projected to widen modestly to 14.8% of GDP on higher infrastructure-linked import demand.
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Primary sources
- CBL
- — Central Bank of Liberia: Annual Report and Monthly Economic Review: monetary policy, exchange rates, banking soundness, balance of payments
- MFDP
- — Ministry of Finance and Development Planning: National Budget, budget execution reports, public debt and fiscal transfers
- LISGIS
- — Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services: 2022 Population and Housing Census, consumer price index, external trade and household surveys
- LRA
- — Liberia Revenue Authority: Annual Report: tax and non-tax collections, taxpayer register, filing and payment compliance
- IMF
- — International Monetary Fund: Article IV consultation reports, World Economic Outlook and fiscal/debt analysis
- World Bank
- — World Bank Group: World Development Indicators, Liberia Economic Update, debt and poverty statistics
- UNDP
- — United Nations Development Programme: Human Development Report and its index components
- WHO
- — World Health Organization: Global Health Observatory: mortality, immunization and health-system estimates
Each figure above is attributed to the publishing institution and its reporting period. Derived and AI-generated forecasts are labelled separately from published data.