Labor force participation rate in East Timor

East Timor: Labor force participation rate was 67.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
67.0%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
46th
of 186 countries
All-time high
72.7%
in 1999
All-time low
65.9%
in 2020
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force participation rate in East Timor, 1990–2025

0204060801990200720251990: 71.9 %1991: 71.7 %1992: 71.6 %1993: 71.4 %1994: 71.4 %1995: 71.3 %1996: 71.1 %1997: 71 %1998: 71.2 %1999: 72.7 %2000: 69.7 %2001: 69.2 %2002: 69.7 %2003: 69.8 %2004: 69.6 %2005: 69.4 %2006: 69.7 %2007: 69.2 %2008: 68.7 %2009: 68.1 %2010: 67.7 %2011: 67.4 %2012: 67.3 %2013: 67.2 %2014: 67 %2015: 66.9 %2016: 66.8 %2017: 67.1 %2018: 67.2 %2019: 66.5 %2020: 65.9 %2021: 66.5 %2022: 66.6 %2023: 66.6 %2024: 66.8 %2025: 67 %

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for labor force participation rate in East Timor is 67.0%, 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 force participation rate in East Timor peaked at 72.7% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 65.9%, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 71.5% 71.0% 72.7% 10
2000s 69.3% 68.1% 69.8% 10
2010s 67.1% 66.5% 67.7% 10
2020s 66.5% 65.9% 67.0% 6

Countries ranked near East Timor

  1. 43 Netherlands 67.2% compare
  2. 44 Cote d'Ivoire 67.1% compare
  3. 45 Mali 67.0% compare
  4. 47 Cyprus 67.0% compare
  5. 48 Switzerland 66.7% compare
  6. 49 Thailand 66.7% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for East Timor

All data for East Timor →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force participation rate in East Timor?
Labor force participation rate in East Timor was 67.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in East Timor?
The highest recorded value was 72.7% in 1999.
What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in East Timor?
The lowest recorded value was 65.9% in 2020.
How does East Timor rank for labor force participation rate?
East Timor ranks 46th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force 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 ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Labor force participation rate
Unit
%
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,682 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).