Incorrect: 74% of Liberia’s Voting Population Is Not Under 35

In summary:

• Georchel Angel W. Potter, a member of the Citizens Movement for Change, claims in a Facebook post that 74% of Liberia’s voting population is under 35.

• The claim was reportedly attributed to Adihamu Shizo EQ Karneh, Secretary General of the Citizens Movement for Change.
  
• We verified the claim and found it to be incorrect.

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On May 8, a Facebook user, Georchel Angel W. Potter of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), claimed in a Facebook post that 74% of Liberia’s voting population is under the age of 35. The claim was reportedly attributed to Adihamu Shizo EQ Karneh, Secretary General of the CMC.

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Fact Check By: Annitta N. Kollie | LVL Fact-checker

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To be eligible to vote in Liberia, one must be 18 years or older.

The Claim

His post reads: “Youth inclusion is not an option; it is the future of leadership. With 74% of Liberia’s voting population under 35, now is the time to empower, train, and elevate young leaders to shape the next generation.” ~ Adihamu Shizo EQ Karneh ~

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Rating Justification

To verify the claim, we contacted Adihamu Shizo EQ Karneh, who acknowledged making the statement. However, he clarified that he was referring to Liberia’s youthful population and not the country’s voting population.

He cited data from the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) as the basis for his statement.

We then reviewed the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census Thematic Report published by LISGIS. The report confirms that people between the ages of 0 and 35 constitute approximately 74.5% of Liberia’s total population.

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However, the original claim specifically referred to the voting population, which consists only of individuals aged 18 and above, as Liberia’s Constitution grants voting rights to citizens aged 18 and above.

Our review of the 2022 Census Thematic Report on children, adolescent and youth, shows that young people aged 15–24 account for 23.6% of the population, while those aged 15–35 account for 41.7% of the population.

Conclusion

Based on our review of the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census Thematic Report and the clarification provided by Adihamu Shizo EQ Karneh, we conclude that the claim that approximately 74% of Liberia’s population is youthful is correct.

However, the statement that 74% of Liberia’s voting population is under the age of 35 is misleading. The 74.5% figure refers to Liberia’s total population aged 0–35, including children who are not eligible to vote. Therefore, it should not be used to describe Liberia’s voting or eligible voter population.

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