Gbarnga - WikiHQ

Gbarnga is the capital city of Bong County, Liberia, located in the north-central part of the country northeast of Monrovia. It serves as an administrative, commercial, and educational center for Bong County and the surrounding region. Cuttington University, a private Episcopal-affiliated institution, is located near the city.

During the First Liberian Civil War, Gbarnga served as the headquarters of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia. In the post-war period, the city has remained an important regional center, with development issues including market relocation, urban trading activity, and public infrastructure.

Government and administration

Gbarnga is administered by the Gbarnga City Corporation. As of 2026, Gallah Varpilah served as mayor of the city.

Demographics

According to the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census, the urban population of Bong County, of which Gbarnga is the capital and largest settlement, was 149,772, comprising 73,466 males and 76,306 females.

The Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) did not publish a separate city-level figure for Gbarnga in the 2022 thematic reports; at the previous 2008 census, the city itself was enumerated at 34,046, ranking it the fourth-most populous urban area in Liberia. Bong County as a whole recorded 467,561 residents in 2022, making it the third-most populous county in Liberia, with a 2.4 percent annual growth rate since 2008.

Gbarnga functions as a regional commercial center for Bong County. In June 2024, the Gbarnga General Market, formerly known as the Sirleaf Market, was dedicated following a project funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment. The market project, valued at US$951,934.32, included storage spaces, offices, a power house, and toilet facilities, and was intended to support the relocation of the old Gbarnga Central Market from the city center. Later that year, the Gbarnga City Corporation demolished the old market, but the relocation generated opposition from some marketers, who argued that moving away from the old market area and Broad Street reduced customer traffic and sales.

Similar disputes over the demolition of informal stalls and relocation of sellers have occurred in other major Liberian markets, including Red Light Market in Paynesville, where street sellers resisted relocation to Omega Market because of concerns over distance, space, and reduced business.

Education

Gboveh High School
St. Martin's Catholic High School
Williams VS Tubman-Gray united methodist High School
AB Francis SDA School
St. Peter Episcopal High School
Alexandre A. Andrews Academy High School
Sumo Moye Memorial Institute
St. Marks Lutheran High School
St. Paul's Major Catholic Seminary

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical monsoon (Am). Its climate is similar to the capital Monrovia, but less rainy and with cooler night temperatures.