Safety Nets are limited in Liberia and, although as a share of GDP, expenditures are higher
than the regional average, the average benefit amount is equal to only 7-20 percent of the
poverty line. The current system focuses on the country’s most vulnerable populations but
that the system is fragmented. Food insecurity is mainly addressed through food transfers
aimed at preventing starvation and malnutrition. Unemployed people, including the large
portion of the population engaged in informal employment, are targeted primarily by public
works. Scaling-up Liberia’s safety nets would require significant investments, which are not
viable at the moment given the country’s financial constraints. Efforts should hence focus
on improving the overall safety net system within the existing budget.