Liberia: New businesses registered (number)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Liberia's new businesses registered (number) rose 77.7% on 2023 (from 94 to 167).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was +24.8% and a typical year strayed about 47.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 103.3% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 46.2% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 13.12 a year. A straight line explains 76% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Liberia had the 124th highest value of the 127 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Liberia in the 2024 ranking

• Antigua and Barbuda — 121st of 127: 275
• Central African Republic — 122nd of 127: 258
• Dominica — 123rd of 127: 171
• Brunei Darussalam — 125th of 127: 157
• St. Lucia — 126th of 127: 139
• Tonga — 127th of 127: 42

What this measures

New businesses registered are the number of new limited liability corporations (or its equivalent) registered in the calendar year.

Limitations: The definition of entrepreneurship used is limited to the formal sector. Yet, it should be noted that the exclusion of the informal sector is based on the difficulties of quantifying the number of firms that compose it, rather than on its relevance for developing economies. Data collected from economies categorized as offshore financial centers by Eurostat are excluded from the analysis, because registered entities in these countries may not fit the objective of the Entrepreneurship Database aiming at measuring formally registered companies with actual economic activities.

All 14 values

New businesses registered (number) in nearby economies

• Angola — 30,956 (2024)
• Benin — 5,522 (2024)
• Botswana — 21,456 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 10,046 (2024)
• Burundi — 7,263 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 7,719 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 258 (2024)
• Chad — 1,391 (2024)
• Comoros — 387 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 6,095 (2024)
• Congo, Rep.

More private sector & trade data for Liberia

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 86.96% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$2.49 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$2.07 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports to high-income economies (% of total merchandise exports) — 75.97% (2023)
• Merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) — 0% (2023)
• Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$153.7 million (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 20.52% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Liberia's new businesses registered (number)?

167 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2011?

It is up 943.75% from 16 in 2011 (19.77% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 167 in 2024 and the lowest 16 in 2011.

How does Liberia rank?

124th highest of 127 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in new businesses registered (number) unusual for Liberia?

In 2024, Liberia's new businesses registered (number) rose 77.7% on 2023 (from 94 to 167). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was +24.8% and a typical year strayed about 47.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IC.BUS.NREG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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