Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) in East Timor
East Timor: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) was 65.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in East Timor, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in East Timor stood at 65.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in East Timor peaked at 70.0% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 63.7%, in 2016.
East Timor ranks 34th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) in East Timor, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 69.3% | — |
| 1992 | 69.2% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 69.1% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 69.0% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 68.9% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 68.7% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 68.6% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 68.7% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 70.0% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 67.2% | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 66.9% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 67.3% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 67.3% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 67.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 66.9% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 67.2% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 66.8% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 66.3% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 65.9% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 65.4% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 65.1% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 64.9% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 64.8% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 64.6% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 64.4% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 63.7% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 64.2% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 64.7% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 64.4% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 64.1% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 64.9% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 65.5% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 65.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 65.7% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 65.9% | +0.3% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 65.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 54.4%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 65.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.9%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 69.0% | 68.6% | 70.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 66.9% | 65.9% | 67.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.6% | 63.7% | 65.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.3% | 64.1% | 65.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More work & labour data for East Timor
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 321 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 67.53 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 667.78 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.77 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.22 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,687 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 3,450 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.34 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.18 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in East Timor?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in East Timor was 65.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 70.0% in 1999.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.7% in 2016.
- How does East Timor rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%)?
- East Timor ranks 34th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.