Military profile
Liberia Military Strength
Liberia ranks #141 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 2,000 active personnel. It spent $44 million on its military in 2025 (0.9% of GDP).
Liberia armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 2,000#139 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 0#113 of 145
- Army personnel
- 1,500#140 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 0#138 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 350#106 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 0#141 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 0#95 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 0#138 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 0#115 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 0#107 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 0#98 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 0#56 of 113
- Corvettes
- 0#47 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 6#86 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $44 million#144 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.9%#126 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $6.5 billion#143 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Liberia military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Liberia grew by 423% between 2010 and 2025, from $8 million to $44 million (current US dollars), and stood at 0.9% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Liberia
Branches and forces
Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Liberian Coast Guard Ministry of Justice: Liberia National Police, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (2025)
Personnel
approximately 2,000 active Armed Forces (2025)
Service age and conscription
18 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the military has a limited inventory; in recent years, it has received small quantities of equipment, including donations, from countries such as China, UAE, and the US (2025)
Good to know
the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) are responsible for external defense and some domestic security responsibilities if called upon, such as humanitarian assistance during natural disasters and support to law enforcement; it is a small, lightly equipped force comprised of two combat infantry battalions and supporting units, as well as a few coastal patrol craft for the Coast Guard; the infantry battalions were rebuilt with US assistance in 2007-2008 from the restructured AFL following the end of the second civil war in 2003 when military and police forces were disbanded and approximately 100,000 military, police, and rebel combatants were disarmed the first militia unit established for defense of the Liberia colony was raised in 1832; the AFL traces its origins to the 1908 establishment of the Liberia Frontier Force, which became the Liberian National Guard in 1965; the AFL was established in 1970 (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 0.7% · 2023: 1.3% · 2022: 1.3% · 2021: 0.8% · 2020: 0.5%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Liberia compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Liberia | #141 | $44 million |
 Côte d'Ivoire | #105 | $759 million |
 Guinea | — | $601 million |
 Sierra Leone | #138 | $32 million |