Map of Timor-Leste | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Timor was actively involved in Southeast Asian trading networks for centuries and by the 14th century exported aromatic sandalwood, slaves, honey, and wax. A number of local chiefdoms ruled the island in the early 16th century when Portuguese traders arrived, chiefly attracted by the relative abundance of sandalwood on Timor; by mid century, the Portuguese had colonized the island. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 people died. In an August 1999 UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. However, in the next three weeks, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forced 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. Most of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly all of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999, Australian-led peacekeeping troops deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state.


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Location: Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - Timor-Leste includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco

Geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 125 55 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 14,874 km²
Land: 14,874 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 159
Comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut; almost half the size of Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 253 km
Border countries: (1) Indonesia 253 km

Coastline: 706 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200
Note: nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons

Terrain: mountainous

Elevation
Lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m
Highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m

Natural resources: gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble

Land use
Agricultural land: 25.1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 49.1% (2011 est.)
Other: 25.8% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 350 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: floods and landslides are common; earthquakes; tsunamis; tropical cyclones

Geography
Note: Timor comes from the Malay word for 'east'; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands; the district of Oecussi is an exclave separated from Timor-Leste proper by Indonesia; Timor-Leste has the unique distinction of being the only Asian country located completely in the Southern Hemisphere


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Population
Distribution: most of the population concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili: 1,383,723 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 155
Growth rate: 2.27% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 31
Below poverty line: 41.8% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Timorese
Adjective: Timorese

Ethnic groups: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) (includes Tetun, Mambai, Tokodede, Galoli, Kemak, Baikeno), Melanesian-Papuan (includes Bunak, Fataluku, Bakasai), small Chinese minority

Languages: Tetun Prasa 30.6%, Mambai 16.6%, Makasai 10.5%, Tetun Terik 6.1%, Baikenu 5.9%, Kemak 5.8%, Bunak 5.5%, Tokodede 4%, Fataluku 3.5%, Waima'a 1.8%, Galoli 1.4%, Naueti 1.4%, Idate 1.2%, Midiki 1.2%, other 4.5%
Note: data represent population by mother tongue; Tetun and Portuguese are official languages; Indonesian and English are working languages; there are about 32 indigenous languages

Religions: Roman Catholic 97.6%, Protestant/Evangelical 2%, Muslim 0.2%, other 0.2% (2015 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.96% (male 284,353/female 268,562)
15-24 years: 20.32% (male 142,693/female 138,508)
25-54 years: 30.44% (male 202,331/female 218,914)
55-64 years: 5.22% (male 34,956/female 37,229)
65 years and over: 4.06% (male 27,153/female 29,024) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 90.3
Youth dependency ratio: 83.7
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.6
Potential support ratio: 15.2 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.6 years
Male: 18.9 years
Female: 20.2 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 200

Population growth rate: 2.27% (2020 est.)
Rank: 31

Birth rate: 32 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 27

Death rate: 5.7 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 177

Net migration rate: -3.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 188

Population distribution: most of the population concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili

Urbanization
Urban population: 31.3% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 3.35% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 281,000 DILI (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution and deterioration of air quality; greenhouse gas emissions; water quality, scarcity, and access; land and soil degradation; forest depletion; widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion; loss of biodiversity
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.1 years (2009/10 est.)
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 31.7 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 34.3 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 28.9 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 50

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.3 years
Male: 67.6 years
Female: 71.1 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 170

Total fertility rate: 4.44 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 25

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 26.1% (2016)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 27.7% of population
Total: 19.3% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.9% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.75 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 9.1% of population
Rural: 49.7% of population
Total: 57.4% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2019)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 114
People living with hivaids: 1500 (2019)
People living with hivaids rank: 138
Deaths note: <100 (2019)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 3.8% (2016)
Rank: 190

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 37.5% (2013)
Rank: 3

Education expenditures: 6.8% of GDP (2018)
Rank: 17

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 68.1%
Male: 71.9%
Female: 64.2% (2018)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 13 years (2010)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Conventional short form: Timor-Leste
Local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosae [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
Local short form: Timor Lorosae [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
Former: East Timor, Portuguese Timor
Etymology: timor derives from the Indonesian and Malay word timur meaning east; leste is the Portuguese word for east, so Timor-Leste literally means Eastern-East; the local [Tetum] name Timor Lorosae translates as East Rising Sun
Note: pronounced TEE-mor LESS-tay

Government type: semi-presidential republic

Capital
Name: Dili
Geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E
Time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 12 municipalities (municipios, singular municipio) and 1 special adminstrative region* (regiao administrativa especial); Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Covalima (Suai), Dili, Ermera (Gleno), Lautem (Lospalos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oe-Cusse Ambeno* (Pante Macassar), Viqueque
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Dependent areas

Independence: 20 May 2002 (from Indonesia); note - 28 November 1975 was the date independence was proclaimed from Portugal; 20 May 2002 was the date of international recognition of Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia

National holiday: Restoration of Independence Day, 20 May (2002); Proclamation of Independence Day, 28 November (1975)

Constitution
History: drafted 2001, approved 22 March 2002, entered into force 20 May 2002
Amendments: proposed by Parliament and parliamentary groups; consideration of amendments requires at least four-fifths majority approval by Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by Parliament and promulgation by the president of the republic; passage of amendments to the republican form of government and the flag requires approval in a referendum

Legal system: civil law system based on the Portuguese model; note - penal and civil law codes to replace the Indonesian codes were passed by Parliament and promulgated in 2009 and 2011, respectively

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Timor-Leste
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Francisco GUTERRES (since 20 May 2017); note - the president is commander in chief of the military and is able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections
Head of government: Prime Minister Taur Matan RUAK (since 22 June 2018); note - President GUTERRES dissolved parliament because of an impasse over passing the countrys budget on 26 January 2018, with then Prime Minister Mari ALKATIRI assuming the role of caretaker prime minister until a new prime minister was appointed; note - on 25 February 2020, Prime Minister RUAK offered his resignation due to inability to pass 2020 budget in parliament, but the president refused his offer; on 8 April, RUAK withdrew his resignation
Cabinet: the governing coalition in the Parliament proposes cabinet member candidates to the Prime Minister, who presents these recommendations to the President of the Republic for swearing in
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 20 March 2017 (next to be held in 2022); following parliamentary elections, the president appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the prime minister
Election results: Francisco GUTERRES elected president; percent of vote - Francisco GUTERRES (FRETILIN) 57.1%, Antonio DA CONCEICAO (PD) 32.5%, Jose Luis GUTERRES (Frenti-Mudanca) 2.6%, Jose NEVES (independent) 2.3%, Luis Alves TILMAN (independent) 2.2%, other 3.4%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Parliament (65 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 12 May 2018 (next to be held in July 2023)
Election results: percent of vote by party - AMP - 49.6%, FRETILIN 34.2%, PD 8.1%, DDF 5.5%, other 2.6%; seats by party - AMP 34, FRETILIN 23, PD 5, DDF 3; composition - men 39, women 26, percent of women 40%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Court of Appeals (consists of the court president and NA judges)
Judge selection and term of office: court president appointed by the president of the republic from among the other court judges to serve a 4-year term; other court judges appointed - 1 by the Parliament and the others by the Supreme Council for the Judiciary, a body chaired by the court president and that includes mostly presidential and parliamentary appointees; other judges serve for life
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Administrative, Tax, and Audit Court; district courts; magistrates courts; military courts
Note: the UN Justice System Programme, launched in 2003 and being rolled out in 4 phases through 2018, is helping strengthen the country's justice system; the Programme is aligned with the country's long-range Justice Sector Strategic Plan, which includes legal reforms

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Change and Progress or AMP [Xanana GUSMAO] (alliance includes CNRT, KHUNTO, PLP)Democratic Development Forum or DDFDemocratic Party or PDFrenti-Mudanca [Jose Luis GUTERRES]Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan or KHUNTONational Congress for Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT [Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO]People's Liberation Party or PLP [Taur Matan RUAK]Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste or FRETILIN [Mari ALKATIRI]

International organization participation: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, ARF, ASEAN (observer), CPLP, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Isilio Antonio De Fatima COELHO DA SILVA (since 6 January 2020)
In the us chancery: 4,201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 504, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 966-3,202
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 966-3,205
From the us chief of mission: Charge dAffaires Elias PARRA (November 2020)
From the us telephone: (670) 332-4,684, EMER: +(670) 7,723-1328
From the us embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Coqueiros, Dili
From the us mailing address: US Department of State, 8,250 Dili Place, Washington, DC 20,521-8,250
From the us fax: (670) 331-3,206

Flag description: red with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; a white star - pointing to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag - is in the center of the black triangle; yellow denotes the colonialism in Timor-Leste's past, black represents the obscurantism that needs to be overcome, red stands for the national liberation struggle; the white star symbolizes peace and serves as a guiding light

National symbols: Mount Ramelau; national colors: red, yellow, black, white

National anthem
Name: Patria (Fatherland)
Lyricsmusic: Fransisco Borja DA COSTA/Afonso DE ARAUJO
Note: adopted 2002; the song was first used as an anthem when Timor-Leste declared its independence from Portugal in 1975; the lyricist, Francisco Borja DA COSTA, was killed in the Indonesian invasion just days after independence was declared

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 216

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 147

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 33% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 30% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 10.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 78.4% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -52% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 9.1% (2017 est.)
Industry: 56.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 34.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee, rice, corn, cassava (manioc, tapioca), sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla

Industries: printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2017 est.)
Rank: 133

Labor force: 286,700 (2016 est.)
Rank: 164
By occupation agriculture: 41%
By occupation industry: 13%
By occupation services: 45.1% (2013)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 66

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 41.8% (2014 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4%
Highest 10: 27% (2007)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 300 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 2.4 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -75.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 222

Taxes and other revenues: 10.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 213

Public debt:
Rank: 206

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 49

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:
Rank: 106

Exports:
Rank: 214
Commodities: oil, coffee, sandalwood, marble
Commodities note: potential for vanilla exports

Imports:
Rank: 194
Commodities: food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Note: excludes assets of approximately $9.7 billion in the Petroleum Fund (31 December 2010)
Rank: 150

Debt external:
Rank: 183

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: the US dollar is used


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 85.6% (2018)
Access electrification urban areas: 100% (2018)
Access electrification rural areas: 79.2% (2018)
Production: 0 kWh
Production note: NA (2016 est.)
Production rank: 219
Consumption: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 218
Exports: 0 kWh (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 207
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 209
Installed generating capacity: 600 kW
Installed generating capacity note: NA (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 214
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 214
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 194
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 204
Generation sources other renewable sources: 100% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 1

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 33,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 60
Crude oil exports: 62,060 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 39
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 203
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 203

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 207
Products consumption: 3,500 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 186
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 208
Products imports: 3,481 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 182

Natural gas
Production: 5.776 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 48
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 205
Exports: 5.776 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 27
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 199
Proven reserves: 200 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 42

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 533,400 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 184

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,164 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 217
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 1,490,966
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110.22 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 158

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 7 TV stations (3 nationwide satellite coverage; 2 terrestrial coverage, mostly in Dili; 2 cable) and 21 radio stations (3 nationwide coverage) (2019)

Internet
Country code: .tl
Users total: 363,398
Users percent of population: 27.49% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 162

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 603 (2018 est.)
Rank: 200


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 120

Military and security forces: Timor-Leste Defense Force (Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, Falintil (F-FDTL)): Headquarters with Land and Naval components (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; 18-month service obligation (2019)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 4W (2016)

Airports: 6 (2013)
Rank: 177
With paved runways total: 2 (2013)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 4 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Heliports: 8 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 6,040 km (2008)
Paved: 2,600 km (2008)
Unpaved: 3,440 km (2008)
Rank: 143

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 1
By type: other 1 (2019)
Rank: 180

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Dili


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Disputes international: three stretches of land borders with Indonesia have yet to be delimited, two of which are in the Oecussi exclave area, and no maritime or Economic Exclusion Zone boundaries have been established between the countries; maritime boundaries with Indonesia remain unresolved; Timor-Leste and Australia reached agreement on a treaty delimiting a permanent maritime boundary in March 2018; the treaty will enter into force once ratified by the two countries' parliaments

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: NA