In Summary:
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Spoon TV claimed in a Facebook post that Liberia has over 73 deaths per 1,000 live births and that nearly 1 in 10 children die before age five. The post also asserts that 0.03 doctors per 1,000 people and that 60% of health facilities lack electricity
- We fact-check these claims by reviewing national and global data about Liberia’s child mortality situation and the countr’s health sector.
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We found that one of the claims is correct while the others are incorrect.
On August 4, Spoon TV published a report on its Facebook page that carried several claims about child mortality and the country’s health sector. The post also asserts that there are 0.03 doctors per 1,000 people in the country and that 60% of health facilities lack electricity.
These claims by the media outlet were made after news surfaced that the JFK Medical Center in Monrovia was cancelling free treatment for certain medical services for pregnant women.
The Claim
Excerpt from Spoon TV post reads: “Liberia currently ranks among the top 25 countries with the highest child mortality rates, with over 73 deaths per 1,000 live births and nearly 1 in 10 children die before reaching their fifth birthday.”
The post gathered 0ver 800 comments and over 200 shares as well as over 650 reactions, making it a very popular post. We have fact-checked these claims by consulting various authoritative sources, including national and global sources.
Claim 1:
Does Liberia Record “Over 73 Deaths Per 1,000 Live Births?”
Rating Justification
To fact-check this claim, we reviewed the 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) Health data overview for Liberia, which presents a snapshot of key health and demographic indicators, including the under-five mortality rate for Liberia.
WHO often uses the term child mortality interchangeably with under-five mortality, which is the possibility that a child born in a specific year or period will die before reaching the age of five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of that period.” Although commonly referred to as a rate, it’s a probability of death, derived from a life table and expressed per 1,000 live births
While the WHO lists the under-five mortality indicator in its public dashboards for Liberia, the website doesn’t display the number outright. For the actual figure, users need to download the data or view the indicator via the dataset interface.
We then downloaded and reviewed the 2023 WHO dataset, and it shows that Liberia’s under-five mortality rate stands at 72.88 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is approximately 73 deaths per 1,000 live births.
We also reviewed the 2023 World Bank dataset, which reports that Liberia’s under-five mortality rate is 72.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. This corresponds to approximately 73 deaths per 1,000 live births.
A further search found a 2023 UNICEF Under-five mortality rate for Liberia, which shows Liberia has 72.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is also equivalent to 73 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“The Global Economy,” an online platform that provides over 500 socio-economic indicators, covering areas like health, trade, GDP, and inflation, for more than 200 countries since 1960, gathers data from official sources, including national statistical offices, central banks, and international organizations such as the UNICEF, World Bank, IMF, and OECD. The site puts Liberia’s child mortality rate at 73 deaths per 1,000 live births.
We also review the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census: Thematic Report on Mortality, which recorded an under-five mortality rate of 92.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. On the other hand, the child mortality rate stands at 32.1 per 1,000 live births.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, we conclude that the claim made by Spoon TV that Liberia Records “Over 73 Deaths Per 1,000 Live Births” is correct. Unlike the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census: Thematic Report on Mortality, which recorded an under-five mortality rate of 92.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, a review of the most recent data by the WHO, World Bank, and UNICEF shows that Liberia records about 73 deaths per 1,000 live births, respectively.
Claim 2:
Does “Nearly 1 In 10 Children Die Before Reaching Their 5th Birthday [in Liberia]?”
Rating Justification
To fact-check this, we first gathered an understanding of what “1 in 10” means. In statistical terms, “1 in 10” means: one out of every 10 children that are born dies. This also equals 100 deaths per 1,000 live births.
However, the 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) data overview for Liberia under-five mortality rate shows Liberia’s under-five mortality rate stands at about 73 deaths per 1,000 live births. When converted, it means that about 1 in 14 children die before their fifth birthday, and not 1 in 10. In other words, Liberia’s rate is high, but still below the level that would equal “1 in 10.”
A similar figure is also mentioned in the 2023 World Bank dataset and the 2023 UNICEF Under-five mortality rate for Liberia. These reports put Liberia’s under-five mortality rate at about 73 deaths per 1,000 live births. When converted, this also constitutes about 1 in 14 children dying before their fifth birthday, and not 1 in 10.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, we conclude that the claim that “Nearly 1 In 10 Children Die Before Reaching Their Fifth Birthday” is incorrect. While Liberia’s rate is high, it still falls below the level that would equal “1 in 10.
Claim 3:
Does “Liberia currently rank among the top 25 countries with the highest child mortality rate?”
Rating Justification
To fact-check this, we also reviewed the 2023 World Bank dataset, which reports Liberia’s under-five mortality rate which is 72.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. After sorting the figures in the 2023 World Bank dataset, it shows that Liberia is ranked 13th – the country with the highest child mortality rate in Africa, ranking among the top 25 countries with the highest child mortality rates.” The provided data table lists countries alphabetically and does not include a global rank.
The data are gathered from official sources, including national statistical offices, central banks, and international organizations such as the UNICEF, World Bank, IMF, and OECD. The site report ranks Liberia 13TH among the top 25 countries with the highest child mortality globally, with a rate of 73 deaths per 1,000 live births.
We also review the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census: Thematic Report on Mortality, which recorded an under-five mortality rate of 92.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.
The same report’s comparative table for sub-Saharan Africa ranked Liberia 7th among countries with the highest under-five mortality rates. The ranking is made possible from a combination of data from the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, LPHC, 2022.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, we conclude that the claim, “Liberia currently ranks among the top 25 countries with the highest child mortality rates, is correct. A 2023 World Bank dataset, and “The Global Economy” ranks Liberia 13TH among the top 25 countries with the highest child mortality globally, respectively. Also, the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census: Thematic Report on Mortality, comparative table for sub-Saharan Africa ranked Liberia 7th among countries with the highest under-five mortality rates. The ranking is a combination of data from the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, LPHC, 2022.
Claim 4:
Spoon also claimed in the same post that “In 2025, Liberia has only 0.03 doctors per 1,000 people, and 60% of health facilities lack electricity.”
Rating Justification
To fact-check if Liberia currently has only 0.03 doctors per 1,000 people and that 60% of health facilities lack electricity, we searched and found a 2023 “Republic of Liberia’s Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Assessment.” It was done and published by the Ministry of Health to identify the root causes of health disparities and inequalities in Liberia and propose evidence-based solutions to achieve equitable healthcare for all Liberians.
This report puts the doctor to patient/Medical doctor density at 10.2 medical doctors per 100,000 population. This translates to 0.102 medical doctors per 1,000 patients and not 0.03 doctors per 1,000 people. The total population of Liberia recognized by the “Republic of Liberia’s Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Assessment,” is 5.2 million people.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Medical Doctor Density as the number of medical doctors, including generalists and specialist medical practitioners, per 10,000 population in the given national and/or subnational area.
Further search also found a 2022 WHO report, which puts the density of physicians (per 10,000 population) in Liberia at 1.8 in 2022.
There is no direct Liberia-specific report to show that 60% of health facilities lack electricity in Liberia.
Conclusion
Based on this finding, we conclude that the claim made by Spoon Network that in 2025, Liberia has only 0.03 doctors per 1,000 people, and 60% of health facilities lack electricity is incorrect.
According to a 2023 Republic of Liberia’s Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Assessment, while the patients-to-doctor ratio is low due to insufficient doctors in Liberia to provide services to a population of 5.2 million, the doctor-to-patient /Medical doctor density stood at 10.2 medical doctors per 10,000 population. This translates to 0.102 medical doctors per 1,000 patients and not 0.03 doctors per 1,000 people.
Also, there is no evidence to show that 60% of health facilities in Liberia lack electricity.
