Timor Leste Flag

Timor Leste

Capital:
Dili
Continent:
Asia
Region(s):
Southeast Asia
Largest Cities:
Dili
Abbreviation:
TLS

1.4M
Total Population
156
Population Rank
95.39
Density (km²)
17.9K 1.36%
Annual Population Growth

Population of Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste's population structure shows a nearly equal male to female ratio of 1.02 to 1, with a median male age of 22.15 years old and a median female age of 22.51 years old. The highest concentration of adults under 75 years old is in the 18 and 19 year-old age groups, while the lowest concentration is in the 71 and 70 year-old age groups.

Timor-Leste Population

Data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

Timor-Leste Population Clock

Timor-Leste Population*
1,411,743
Births per Day
84
Deaths per Day
28
Emigrations per Day
7
Net Change per Day
49
2025 Population Change*
2,107

* As of 2/12/2025

1 birth

Every 17.1 minutes

1 death

Every 51.4 minutes

1 emigrant

Every 3.4 hours

1 person

Every 29.4 minutes

Population by City

City
2025 Pop.
Dili150,000

Timor-Leste Overview

Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor and officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It is made up of the eastern half of Timor island, nearby islands of Jaco and Atauro, and Oecusse, an exclave on the island within Indonesian West Timor. The population is mostly concentrated around Dili, the largest city and capital, with a population of 234,000.

Timor-Leste Demographics

The term Maubere was used by the Portuguese to refer to native East Timorese and usually used as a synonym for the uneducated and illiterate, although it is now used as a term of pride. Maubere have many different ethnic groups, many of which are of mixed Malayo-Polynesian and Melanesian/Papuan descent.

The largest Malayo-Polynesian group are the Tetum (100,000), who live around Dili, followed by the Mambai (80,000) in the mountains, the Tukudede (63,000) around Liquica and Maubara, the Galoli (50,000), the Kemak (50,000) in north-central Timor island, and the Baikeno (20,000).

The main groups of Papuan origin are the Bunak (50,000) in the central region of Timor island, the Fataluka (30,000) near Lospalos and the Makasae at the eastern end of the island.

There is also a large population of people of mixed East Timorese and Portuguese origin called mesticos, and a small Chinese minority.

Timor-Leste is one of just two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia, along with the Philippines.

Timor-Leste History

It is believed that descendants from three separate migration waves continue to live in East Timor, including the Australoid indigenous people from Australia and New Guinea, who arrived 40,000 years ago.

In the 16th century, Timor-Leste was colonized by Portugal and known as Portuguese Timor. The Portuguese established outposts in the area. During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese and the struggle to defeat the Japanese by Allied forces and East Timorese volunteers led to the deaths of up to 70,000 East Timorese. Portugal effectively abandoned its colony in 1974, and Timor-Leste declared independence in 1975 but was invaded and occupied by Indonesia. The Indonesian occupation was marked by violence and brutality, which killed about 100,000 people. In 1999, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory.

Timor-Leste Today

Nearly 37% of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 UDS per day, and 50% of the population is illiterate. The country still struggles with the aftereffects of its struggle for independence from Indonesia, which killed a minimum of 100,000 people.