What is the capital of Liberia?
Monrovia occupies Cape Mesurado on Liberia's Atlantic coast, in Montserrado County.
Monrovia is the capital and seat of government of Liberia, a role it has held since 1847. Liberia itself has an estimated population of 5,731,206 (2025).
Monrovia is also the largest city in Liberia, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Monrovia at a glance
| City population | 1,761,032 (2022 census) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 2,225,911 (2022 census) |
| Country | 🇱🇷 Liberia |
| Founded | 1822 |
| Capital since | 1847 |
| Largest city in Liberia | Monrovia |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 (GMT) |
| Currency | Liberian dollar (LRD) |
About Monrovia
Monrovia was founded on 25 April 1822 by the American Colonization Society as a settlement for formerly enslaved and freeborn African Americans, and was named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States.
Monrovia has been the capital of Liberia since 1847, the year Liberia declared its independence.
Roughly a third of Liberia's population lives in the Monrovia metropolitan area, the country's most densely populated region.
The first settlers established themselves on Providence Island before the town spread to the mainland.
Monrovia is Liberia's political, administrative, economic and cultural centre.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Monrovia.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Liberia?
Is Monrovia the largest city in Liberia?
What is the population of Monrovia?
Where is Monrovia located?
When did Monrovia become the capital of Liberia?
What time zone is Monrovia in?
What currency is used in Monrovia?
Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Liberia on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.