World Factbook
Timor-Leste
Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e (Tetum)/ Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste (Portuguese)
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
73.1% (2022 est.)
female
71.8% (2022 est.)
total population
72.5% (2022 est.)
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% (2015 est.)
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
Catholic 90.7%, other 7.1%, Protestant Evangelical 1.9%; less than 1%: Islam, Buddhist, Hindu (2022 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.96 male(s)/female
total population
0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.92 male(s)/female
Birth rate
23.39 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
19.8 years
total
23 years (2025 est.)
female
21.3 years
Population
male
693,940
total
1,404,785 (2025 est.)
female
710,845
Nationality
noun
Timorese
adjective
Timorese
Tobacco use
male
62.6% (2025 est.)
total
36.1% (2025 est.)
female
8.9% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
32.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
3.31% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
38.7% (male 299,929/female 283,416)
15-64 years
56.8% (male 418,493/female 437,727)
65 years and over
4.5% (2024 est.) (male 32,243/female 35,101)
Ethnic groups
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) (includes Tetun, Mambai, Tokodede, Galoli, Kemak, Baikeno), Melanesian-Papuan (includes Bunak, Fataluku, Bakasai), small Chinese minority
People - note
one of only two predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia, the other being the Philippines
Child marriage
men married by age 18
1.2% (2016)
women married by age 15
2.6% (2016)
women married by age 18
14.9% (2016)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
62 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
54.3 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
12.9 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
7.7 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.75 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
11.4% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
8.9% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-3.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.79 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 81.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 87% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 98.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 18.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 13% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 1.6% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
5.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
4.3% national budget (2025 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
35.3 deaths/1,000 live births
total
41.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
28.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.28% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.35 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
most of the population is concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili
Life expectancy at birth
male
68.9 years
female
72.3 years
total population
70.5 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
192 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 64% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 73.7% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 94.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 36% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 26.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 5.9% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
0.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
281,000 DILI (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
3.8% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
23 years (2016 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
56.4% (2022 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
31.9% (2020 est.)