By Julius T. Jaesen, II
Managing Editor
Monrovia – May 1, 2025: In a bold move to improve national planning and better understand the realities faced by Liberian households, the Government of Liberia, through the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), has officially launched the 2025 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES). The exercise, supported by the World Bank, aims to collect vital data on how Liberians earn, spend, eat, live, and work.
The survey, which is being rolled out across all 15 counties, will dig deep into several areas affecting everyday life—from food security and education to employment and health. It comes almost a decade after Liberia conducted its first HIES in 2016, marking this as the second of its kind and a potentially game-changing intervention for decision-makers across the board.
Speaking during the launch event in Monrovia on April 30, World Bank Country Manager Georgia Wallen described the survey as a “significant step forward” in making decisions based on hard facts. “Access to high-quality data is an enabler for planning, decision-making, and action,” she emphasised, underlining the role of evidence or data in governance.
The 2025 HIES is being implemented under the umbrella of the World Bank’s Harmonising and Improving Statistics in West Africa (HISWA) project. This regional program seeks to standardise and strengthen data systems across West African nations. For Liberia, this means better tools for tracking development goals and adjusting strategies when necessary.
Director-General of LISGIS, Hon. Richard F. Ngafuan, underscored the survey’s relevance to President Boakai’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development. “This survey is more than numbers—it reflects how Liberians live, work, and strive,” he said. “It offers decision-makers the insight needed to govern wisely.”
The findings from the HIES will serve as a national mirror, helping both local and international partners to identify gaps and plan better-targeted interventions. Whether it’s about reducing poverty, addressing inequalities, or building inclusive growth, the data is expected to become a bedrock for all future policies.
Rose Mungai, a Senior Poverty Economist with the World Bank, described the survey as a crucial tool. “Reliable data is essential for sustainable development. This survey helps uncover household-level challenges so that solutions can be crafted with precision,” she said.
The current survey breaks away from tradition by going fully digital. Enumerators will use tablets to collect responses through face-to-face interviews using the Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) system. This approach reduces errors and speeds up data validation and transmission, allowing for more timely and accurate results.
LISGIS is appealing to all selected households to fully cooperate with survey teams. It reassured the public that all information provided will be treated with strict confidentiality and used solely for statistical purposes.
As Liberia inches closer to realising its development goals, the 2025 HIES stands out as a timely tool—not just for number crunchers in offices, but for every Liberian hoping for a better life. It is a reminder that sound policy begins with understanding the people it seeks to serve.
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