Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 3.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Timor-Leste recorded 3.8% for employment in industry (% of total employment) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 69.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste peaked at 13.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2023.
That places Timor-Leste 185th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.5% | — |
| 1992 | 6.9% | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 7.3% | +6.1% |
| 1994 | 7.5% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 7.7% | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 8.0% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 8.0% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 7.6% | -5.2% |
| 1999 | 8.2% | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 8.9% | +7.7% |
| 2001 | 9.3% | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 8.4% | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 7.8% | -6.3% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | -8.0% |
| 2007 | 7.7% | +8.1% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | +10.4% |
| 2009 | 9.3% | +9.9% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 10.7% | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 10.9% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 12.8% | +17.7% |
| 2020 | 11.9% | -7.6% |
| 2021 | 11.5% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | -64.1% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | -25.1% |
| 2024 | 3.8% | +23.2% |
| 2025 | 3.8% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.5% | 6.5% | 8.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.2% | 7.1% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 9.3% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 3.1% | 11.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
- 182 Djibouti 6.7% compare
- 183 Ethiopia 6.4% compare
- 184 Mozambique 6.4% compare
- 186 Burundi 3.1% compare
- 187 South Sudan 1.7% compare
More work & labour data for Timor-Leste
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 667.78 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 321 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 67.53 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.18 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.34 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,687 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 3,450 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.22 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.77 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste was 3.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2023.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Timor-Leste ranks 185th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Timor-Leste data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).