Labor participation rate in East Timor
East Timor: Labor participation rate was 66.98 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
66.98
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
46th
of 186 countries
All-time high
72.65
in 1999
All-time low
65.92
in 2020
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in East Timor, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor participation rate in East Timor is 66.98, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in East Timor peaked at 72.65 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 65.92, in 2020.
East Timor ranks 46th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in East Timor, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 71.9 | — |
| 1991 | 71.73 | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 71.57 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 71.41 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 71.36 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 71.29 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 71.1 | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 71.03 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 71.18 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 72.65 | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 69.68 | -4.1% |
| 2001 | 69.22 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 69.66 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 69.75 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 69.62 | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 69.45 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 69.69 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 69.22 | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 68.67 | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 68.13 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 67.65 | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 67.41 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 67.26 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 67.16 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 66.98 | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 66.88 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 66.82 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 67.06 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 67.2 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 66.51 | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 65.92 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 66.47 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 66.56 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 66.58 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 66.76 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 66.98 | +0.3% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 66.98 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.67, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 66.98 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 64.35, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 71.52 | 71.03 | 72.65 | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.31 | 68.13 | 69.75 | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.09 | 66.51 | 67.65 | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.55 | 65.92 | 66.98 | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
- 43 Netherlands 67.25 compare
- 44 Cote d'Ivoire 67.09 compare
- 45 Mali 67.04 compare
- 47 Cyprus 66.96 compare
- 48 Switzerland 66.75 compare
- 49 Thailand 66.68 compare
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 labor participation rate in East Timor?
- Labor participation rate in East Timor was 66.98 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 72.65 in 1999.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.92 in 2020.
- How does East Timor rank for labor participation rate?
- East Timor ranks 46th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).