Timor-Leste — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Timor-Leste: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Timor-Leste — in 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. Political status: semi-presidential republic. It covers 14,874 sq km. 20 May 2002 (from Indonesia). Terrain: mountainous. Climate: tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons.
| Capital | Dili |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,404,785 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $5.863 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $4,200 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -2.2% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 2.1% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 1.7% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 3.1% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $278.047 million (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $1.197 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 70.5 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 23 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 32.5% of total population (2023) |
| Government | semi-presidential republic |
| Independence | 28 November 1975 (from Portugal); 20 May 2002 (from Indonesia) |
| 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.) |
Timor-Leste’s GDP is $5.863 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $1.881 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew -2.2% (2024 est.). See where Timor-Leste ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The quarter passed without decisive turns. Governance continued, markets functioned, and the score reflects that uneventfulness.
For countries like this, the real story is always the slow one — and this quarter added no new chapter to it.
- What our model rewards: public debt under 3% of GDP — room to maneuver; inflation tamed at 2.1%
- What drags it down: a current-account deficit of $1 billion (28.2% of GDP) — living beyond its means; only 0% of electricity from low-carbon sources
Gold, Oil, Natural gas, Manganese, Marble.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 99.7% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 99.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 6.825 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 2.8 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 0.5 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 2,000 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Oil 100.0% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 0.0% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 666.7 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $278.047 million (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $1.197 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $919.0 million (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Xanana Gusmão — Prime Minister. President José RAMOS-HORTA (since 20 May 2022)
Timor-Leste maintains 31 embassies abroad, hosts 22 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to ASEAN Jakarta, CPLP Lisbon, UN New York, UN Geneva. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 31 |
|---|---|
| Foreign missions hosted | 22 |
| Multilateral missions | ASEAN Jakarta, CPLP Lisbon, UN New York, UN Geneva |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 (released 2024-02-25), https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/; Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Timor-Leste', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_Timor-Leste; '... in Timor-Leste', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Timor-Leste
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 706 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 11 + 2 heliports (registration prefix 4W) |
| Major seaports | Dili |
Major airports
Oecusse Route of the Sandalwood International Airport (OEC) — Oecussi-Ambeno; Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport (DIL) — Dili; Baucau Airport (BCH) — Baucau; Commander in Chief of FALINTIL, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, International Airport (UAI) — Suai.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | semi-presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Timor-Leste.
Historical timeline of Timor-Leste
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Timor-Leste — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Timor-Leste's power score?
Timor-Leste has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.