The people of Liberia are classified into three major groups: the indigenous people, who are in the majority and who migrated from the western Sudan in the late Middle Ages; black immigrants from the United States-known historically as Americo-Liberians and the West Indies; and other black immigrants from neighbouring western African states who came during the anti-slave-trade campaign and European colonial rule. The Americo-Liberians are most closely associated with founding Liberia. Most of them migrated to Liberia between 1820 and 1865; continued migration has been intermittent. Americo-Liberians controlled the government until a military coup in 1980.

Liberia has a population (2001 estimate) of 3,225,837, giving the nation an overall population density of 33 persons per sq km. Civil war between 1989 and 1996 drove hundreds of thousands of Liberians into neighboring countries as refugees. An around 47 % of those remaining live in cities and towns. Before the war, a majority of the population was engaged in agriculture, and many maintained their orthodox ways of life.There are 16 ethnic groups that make up Liberia's indigenous population. The Kpelle in central and western Liberia is the largest ethnic group. Americo-Liberians who are descendants of freed slaves that arrived in Liberia early in 1821 make up an around 5% of the population.

Liberia was traditionally famous for its hospitality and academic institutions, iron mining and rubber industry booms, and cultural skills and arts and craft works. But political upheavals beginning in the 1980s and the brutal 7-year civil war (1989-1996) brought about a steep decline in the living standards of the nation, including its education and infrastructure.