Editing Liberia (section)

=== Ethnic groups ===
{{bar box
|title=Ethnic groups in Liberia
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Ethnic groups
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Kpelle|darkgreen|20.3}}
{{bar percent|Bassa|purple|13.4}}
{{bar percent|Grebo|red|10.0}}
{{bar percent|Gio|black|8.0}}
{{bar percent|Mano|orange|7.9}}
{{bar percent|Kru|darkblue|6.0}}
{{bar percent|Lorma|lightgrey|5.1}}
{{bar percent|Kissi|maroon|4.8}}
{{bar percent|Gola|darkgray|4.4}}
{{bar percent|Krahn|gray|4.0}}
{{bar percent|Vai|tan|4.0}}
{{bar percent|Mandinka|lime|3.2}}
{{bar percent|Gbandi|Violet|3.0}}
{{bar percent|Mende|darkgreen|1.3}}
{{bar percent|Sapo|purple|1.2}}
{{bar percent|Belle|red|0.8}}
{{bar percent|Dey|black|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Other Liberian|orange|0.6}}
{{bar percent|Other African|darkblue|1.4}}{{bar percent|Non African|white|0.1}}
}}
The population includes 16 indigenous [[ethnic group]]s and various foreign minorities. Indigenous peoples comprise about 95 percent of the population. The 16 officially recognized ethnic groups include the [[Kpelle people|Kpelle]], [[Bassa (Liberia)|Bassa]], [[Mano people|Mano]], [[Gio people|Gio]] or Dan, [[Kru people|Kru]], [[Grebo people|Grebo]], [[Krahn]], [[Vai people|Vai]], [[Gola people|Gola]], Mandingo or [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]], [[Mende people|Mende]], [[Kissi people|Kissi]], [[Gbandi]], [[Loma people|Loma]], [[Dei people|Dei]] or Dewoin, and [[Belleh people|Belleh]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/liberia/74187.htm |title=Liberia (09/06) |publisher=United States Department of States |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref> The [[Americo-Liberians]], or ''Congo people'',{{efn|So named because many immigrants including those freed from slave ships arrived from ports at the mouth of the [[Congo River]]}} are a historical community in Liberia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aaregistry.org/story/the-americo-liberian-community-a-brief-story/ |title=The Americo-Liberian Community, a story |publisher=African American Registry |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>

The [[Kpelle people|Kpelle]] comprise more than 20% of the population and are the largest ethnic group in Liberia, residing mostly in [[Bong County]] and adjacent areas in central Liberia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/fiske/135b/kpelle.htm|title=Kpelle|first=Alan|last=Fiske|website=www.sscnet.ucla.edu|access-date=November 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102030436/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/fiske/135b/kpelle.htm|archive-date=November 2, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Americo-Liberians, who are descendants of [[African American]] and [[West Indian]], mostly [[Barbadians|Barbadian]] (Bajan) [[settler]]s, make up 2.5%. Congo people, descendants of repatriated [[Kongo people|Congo]] and Afro-Caribbean slaves who arrived in 1825, make up an estimated 2.5%.<ref name="CIA"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theperspective.org/rewriting_history.html |title=Liberia's Ugly Past: Re-writing Liberian History |publisher=Theperspective.org |access-date=January 3, 2010 |archive-date=April 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420074423/http://www.theperspective.org/rewriting_history.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason= The ref provided "Liberia's Ugly Past" seems irrelevant here as it does not address population/demographics|date=May 2022}} These latter two groups established political control in the 19th century which they kept well into the 20th century.

The Liberian constitution exercises ''jus sanguinis'', which means it usually restricts its citizenship to "Negroes or persons of Negro descent."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.liberianlegal.com/constitution1986.htm#_CITIZENSHIP|title=The Constitution of the Republic of Liberia – Chapter IV: Citizenship|website=www.liberianlegal.com|access-date=November 29, 2018|archive-date=October 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016145448/http://www.liberianlegal.com/constitution1986.htm#_CITIZENSHIP|url-status=live}}</ref> That being said, numerous immigrants have come as merchants and become a major part of the business community, including [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]], [[Indian people|Indians]], and other West African nationals. There is a high prevalence of interracial marriage between ethnic Liberians and the Lebanese, resulting in a significant [[mixed-race]] population especially in and around [[Monrovia]]. A small minority of Liberians who are [[White Africans of European descent]] reside in the country.{{Better source needed|reason= CIA Fact Book is no authority to populations in Liberia|date=November 2015}}<ref name="CIA"/>