Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Timor-Leste. 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is 23 years (2016 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 204 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
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 references | Southeast Asia |
Tarrain | mountainous |
Natural Resources | gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble |
Natural Hazards | floods and landslides are common; earthquakes; tsunamis; tropical cyclones |
Irrigated Land | 350 sq km (2012) |
Major rivers (by length in km) | |
Major aquifers | |
Land Boundaries | 253 km |
Border Countries | Indonesia 253 km |
Coastline | 706 km |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons |
Area | |
Total Area | |
Land Area | 14,874 sq km |
Water Area | 0 sq km |
comparative Area | slightly larger than Connecticut; almost half the size of Maryland |
Maritime Claims | |
Territorial sea | 12 nm |
Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
Exclusive fishing zone | 200 nm |
Elevations | |
Highest point | Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m |
Lowest point | Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m |
Land Use | |
Agricultural land | 25.1% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 4.9% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 10.1% (2018 est.) |
Forest | 49.1% (2018 est.) |
Other | 25.8% (2018 est.) |
Most of the population concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili
In Timor-Leste, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) (includes Tetun, Mambai, Tokodede, Galoli, Kemak, Baikeno), Melanesian-Papuan (includes Bunak, Fataluku, Bakasai), small Chinese minority
Population | |
---|---|
Pop growth rate | 2.04% (2024 est.) |
Birth rate | 29.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Death rate | 5.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Health expenditure | 9.9% of GDP (2020) |
Physicians Density | |
Hospital bed Density | |
Total fertility rate | 3.98 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
Gross reproduction rate | 1.92 (2024 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | 26.1% (2016) |
Est married women (ages 15-49) | 55.9% (2023 est.) |
Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
Education expenditures | 4.2% of GDP (2020 est.) |
Net Migration rate | -3.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Nationality | Timorese | Timorese |
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.) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 97.6%, Protestant/Evangelical 2%, Muslim 0.2%, other 0.2% (2015 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) |
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 | 20.6 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 19.8 years |
Female | 21.3 years |
Urbanization | |
Urban population | 32.5% of total population (2023) |
Rate of urbanization | 3.31% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
Major urban areas (Pop) | 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 | 0.92 male(s)/female |
Total population | 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
Infant Motality | |
Total | 32.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
Male | 35.3 deaths/1,000 live births |
Female | 28.9 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life Expectancy at birth | |
Total population | 70.5 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 68.9 years |
Female | 72.3 years |
Drinking Water Sources | |
Improved: urban | urban: 98% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 82.5% of population |
Improved: total | total: 87.4% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 2% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 17.5% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 12.6% of population (2020 est.) |
Sanitation facility acess | |
Improved: urban | urban: 88.7% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 56.1% of population |
Improved: total | total: 66.3% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 11.3% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 43.9% of population |
Unimproved: total | 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 |
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.) |
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.) |
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.
Want to know more about Timor-Leste? Check all different factbooks for Timor-Leste below.