Unemployment rate in East Timor
East Timor: Unemployment rate was 1.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in East Timor, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
East Timor recorded 1.6% for unemployment rate in 2025.
The figure is up 4.5% on the previous year and down 56.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in East Timor peaked at 4.7% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2024.
That places East Timor 173rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in East Timor, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.5% | — |
| 1992 | 3.4% | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 3.3% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 3.4% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 3.5% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 3.5% | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 3.5% | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 3.6% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | +26.6% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | -8.7% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -11.5% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -16.4% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | -10.8% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | -16.5% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -34.4% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | +4.5% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 1.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 31% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 1.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.0%, 52% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in East Timor changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -34.4% | 2.3% | 1.5% |
| 2016 | +26.6% | 3.7% | 4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 3.1% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 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 unemployment rate in East Timor?
- Unemployment rate in East Timor was 1.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 2016.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2024.
- How does East Timor rank for unemployment rate?
- East Timor ranks 173rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.7%. 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 Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.