In summary:
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The National Vice Chair for Legal Affairs of the Alternative National Congress, Cllr. Moriah Yeakula has claimed that 75% of Liberia’s population is under the age of 35.
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Findings from Liberia’s 2022 National Population and Housing Census, conducted by the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-information Services (LISGIS), show that the claim is mostly correct.
On June 23, Cllr. Moriah Yeakula, National Vice Chair for Legal Affairs of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), claimed that 75% of Liberia’s population is under the age of 35. Cllr. Yeakula made this claim during a debate amongst representatives of political parties on OK FM on the ongoing public hearings at the Liberian Senate to amend the Elections Law of Liberia.
Report By: Francis Moore | LMEP Fact-checking Grant Fellow
During the hearings at the Liberian Senate on June 22, former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, who is also the political leader of the National Patriotic Party, proposed increasing registration fees for candidates seeking elective office in Liberia.
The proposal by the former Vice President calls for increasing registration fees to $15,000 for presidential candidates, $10,000 for vice-presidential candidates, $5,000 for senatorial candidates, and $3,000 for representative candidates.
Under the existing regulations in the Elections Law, candidates pay: President, US$2,500; Vice President, US$1,500; Senator, US$750, and Representative, US$500.
But Cllr. Yeakula argued that the move to increase the fees could discourage young people from participating in future elections and limit youth representation in leadership.
The Claim
Excerpt from Cllr. Yeakula’s statement reads: “75% of Liberia’s population is under the age of 35.”
Rating Justification
To verify the claim, we reviewed data from Liberia’s 2022 National Population and Housing Census conducted by the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS).
According to the Census thematic report, Liberia’s population is made up of a large proportion of children, adolescents, and youth. These young people from ages 0 to 35 years. The report states that youth make up 74.5% of the total population of Liberia.
The LIGIS report is also consistent with other demographic reports that describe Liberia as one of Africa’s youngest populations.
For example, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report notes that Liberia has a “significant youthful population, with nearly 75 percent under 35.”
The report states: “Liberia’s youthful population with nearly 75 percent under 35 offers significant demographic dividend potential if accompanied by sufficient job creation and investments in education and skills.”
Conclusion
Based on this evidence, we conclude that Cllr. Moriah Yeakula’s claim that 75% of Liberia’s population is under the age of 35 is mostly correct, as it closely aligns with the official census figures.
According to the official census report and other credible reports, young people between the ages of 0 and 35 years make up 74.5 percent of the total population of Liberia.
