TimorLeste People - 2023
SOURCE: 2023 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
1,476,042 (2023 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% (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
Roman Catholic 97.6%, Protestant/Evangelical 2%, Muslim 0.2%, other 0.2% (2015 est.)
Demographic profile
Timor-Leste’s high fertility and population growth rates sustain its very youthful age structure – approximately 40% of the population is below the age of 15 and the country’s median age is 20. While Timor-Leste’s total fertility rate (TFR) – the average number of births per woman – decreased significantly from over 7 in the early 2000s, it remains high at 4.3 in 2021 and will probably continue to decline slowly. The low use of contraceptives and the traditional preference for large families is keeping fertility elevated. The high TFR and falling mortality rates continue to fuel a high population growth rate of nearly 2.2%, which is the highest in Southeast Asia. The country’s high total dependency ratio – a measure of the ratio of dependents to the working-age population – could divert more government spending toward social programs. Timor-Leste’s growing, poorly educated working-age population and insufficient job creation are ongoing problems. Some 70% of the population lives in rural areas, where most of people are dependent on the agricultural sector. Malnutrition and poverty are prevalent, with 42% of the population living under the poverty line as of 2014.
During the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999) and Timor-Leste’s fight for independence, approximately 250,000 Timorese fled to western Timor and, in lesser numbers, Australia, Portugal, and other countries. Many of these emigrants later returned. Since Timor-Leste’s 1999 independence referendum, economic motives and periods of conflict have been the main drivers of emigration. Bilateral labor agreements with Australia, Malaysia, and South Korea and the presence of Timorese populations abroad, are pull factors, but the high cost prevents many young Timorese from emigrating. Timorese communities are found in its former colonizers, Indonesia and Portugal, as well as the Philippines and the UK. The country has also become a destination for migrants in the surrounding region, mainly men seeking work in construction, commerce, and services in Dili.
Age structure
0-14 years: 39.05% (male 296,331/female 280,029)
15-64 years: 56.61% (male 408,662/female 426,897)
65 years and over: 4.34% (2023 est.) (male 30,856/female 33,267)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 90.3
youth dependency ratio: 59.4
elderly dependency ratio: 8.9
potential support ratio: 11.2 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 19.6 years
male: 18.9 years
female: 20.2 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
2.1% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
30.36 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
5.55 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
-3.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population distribution
most of the population concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili
Urbanization
urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.31% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
281,000 DILI (capital) (2018)
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
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
23 years (2016 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Maternal mortality ratio
204 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 32.93 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 36.12 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 70.21 years
male: 68.56 years
female: 71.98 years (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.09 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.98 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
26.1% (2016)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 98% of population
rural: 82.5% of population
total: 87.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 2% of population
rural: 17.5% of population
total: 12.6% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
9.9% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
0.76 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 88.7% of population
rural: 56.1% of population
total: 66.3% of population
unimproved: urban: 11.3% of population
rural: 43.9% of population
total: 33.7% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: very high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
3.8% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 0.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 39.2% (2020 est.)
male: 67.6% (2020 est.)
female: 10.8% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
37.5% (2013)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
55.9% (2023 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 15: 2.6%
women married by age 18: 14.9%
men married by age 18: 1.2% (2016 est.)
Education expenditures
4.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68.1%
male: 71.9%
female: 64.2% (2018)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 13.8%
male: 11.4%
female: 16.8% (2021 est.)
People - note
one of only two predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia, the other being the Philippines
NOTE: The information regarding TimorLeste on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of TimorLeste 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about TimorLeste 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 06 Dec 23, Copyright © 06 Dec 23 ITA all rights reserved.