Grand Bassa County — Economic Profile
On-demand county report for Grand Bassa, generated by garmaijohnson75@gmail.com on 2026-08-07.
County Overview
- Capital: Buchanan
- Region: South-Central
- Year: 2,024
- Population: 293,557
- Land Area (km²): 7,940
- GDP Contribution (USD M): 282
- GDP Share %: 6
- Growth Rate %: 6.5
- Gov Allocation (USD): 680,000
- Main Resources: Iron ore, timber, port infrastructure, rubber
Key Industries
- Iron ore export
- Port of Buchanan
- Timber
- Agriculture
Agricultural Products
- Rubber
- Cassava
- Palm oil
- Rice
Social Programs & Development Funding
- Total Programs: 2
- Total Funding (USD): 3,950,000
- Total Beneficiaries: 77,000
- Youth Skills Training Program: 1,750,000 USD · 12,000 beneficiaries · USAID / GIZ (2024)
- County Health Services: 2,200,000 USD · 65,000 beneficiaries · Ministry of Health (2024)
National Trade Context
- Year: 2,026
- Total Exports (USD): 199.97
- Total Imports (USD): 261.94
- Trade Balance (USD): -61.97
- FDI Inflows (USD): 0
- Remittances (USD): 84.78
- Top Export Commodity: Rubber
- Top Import Commodity: Fuel
- Top Trading Partners: United States, Canada, Switzerland
Private Sector Context (National)
- Year: 2,024
- Total GDP Contribution (USD M): 545.5
- Total Employment: 29,270
- ArcelorMittal Liberia: 480,000,000 USD revenue · 3,200 employees · mining
- Firestone Natural Rubber: 185,000,000 USD revenue · 6,800 employees · agriculture
- BRAC Liberia: 12,000,000 USD revenue · 450 employees · social services
- Save the Children Liberia: 8,500,000 USD revenue · 320 employees · health & education
- SME Sector Aggregate: 95,000,000 USD revenue · 18,500 employees · mixed (trade, services, manufacturing)
Economic Analysis & Outlook
Grand Bassa serves as a vital economic corridor for Liberia, anchored by the strategic Port of Buchanan and its robust contribution to national trade. With a GDP of 282 million USD, representing 6 percent of the national economy, the county is currently experiencing a strong growth trajectory of 6.5 percent. Its economic foundation is heavily reliant on extractive industries, particularly iron ore exports and timber, which leverage the county's maritime infrastructure to facilitate global market access. Beyond the extractive sector, agriculture remains a foundational pillar for local livelihoods, with significant production in rubber, palm oil, cassava, and rice, providing a diversified base for sustainable rural development. The county's fiscal profile is supported by a government allocation of 680,000 USD, supplemented by high-impact social programming totaling nearly 4 million USD, which directly supports over 77,000 beneficiaries. Despite these strengths, Grand Bassa faces structural challenges, including a national trade deficit and a notable absence of foreign direct investment, which currently hinders broader industrial diversification. Moving forward, the outlook for Grand Bassa is cautiously optimistic, provided that policymakers prioritize infrastructure maintenance at the Port of Buchanan and incentivize private sector investment in agro-processing. By transitioning from raw commodity exports toward value-added manufacturing, the county is well-positioned to reduce its vulnerability to global price volatility and foster more inclusive economic growth that translates its rich natural resource endowment into long-term wealth for its population.
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.