Economy - overview: A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some returned during 1997. Many will not return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The democratically elected government, installed in August 1997, inherited massive international debts and currently relies on revenues from its maritime registry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government, including the encouragement of foreign investment. Recent growth has been from a low base, and continued growth will require major policy successes.
Population below poverty line: 80%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 70%
Railways: total: 490 km (328 km single-track); note - three rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with the Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in 1989 after iron ore production ceased; the other two were shut down by the civil war; large sections of the rail lines have been dismantled; approximately 60 km of railroad track was exported for scrap
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge (2001)
Highways: total: 10,600 km
paved: 657 km
unpaved: 9,943 km
note: (there is major deterioration on all highways due to heavy rains and lack of maintenance) (1996 est.)
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
not exactly eating each other, just not good