Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages) … modeled in East Timor
East Timor: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages) … modeled was 3.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in East Timor, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in East Timor stood at 3.7%.
The figure is up 15.4% on the previous year and down 56.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in East Timor peaked at 13.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2023.
East Timor ranks 174th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages) … modeled in East Timor, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.5% | — |
| 1992 | 9.5% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 9.5% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 9.6% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 9.8% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 9.9% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 10.0% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 10.2% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 10.1% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 10.3% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 10.0% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 9.7% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 10.0% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 10.1% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 10.0% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 10.0% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 9.8% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 9.6% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 9.3% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 9.3% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 9.1% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 8.8% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | +52.5% |
| 2017 | 11.5% | -12.0% |
| 2018 | 9.8% | -14.9% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | -18.5% |
| 2020 | 6.8% | -14.8% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -29.4% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -33.0% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 3.7% | +15.4% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 3.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.1%, 37% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 3.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.0%, 41% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages) … modeled 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +52.5% | 8.6% | 13.1% |
| 2022 | -33.0% | 4.8% | 3.2% |
| 2021 | -29.4% | 6.8% | 4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.8% | 9.5% | 10.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.9% | 9.3% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.7% | 8.0% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 3.2% | 6.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
- 171 Kazakhstan 3.8% compare
- 172 Papua New Guinea 3.8% compare
- 173 Sierra Leone 3.7% compare
- 175 Senegal 3.6% compare
- 176 Togo 3.4% compare
- 177 Benin 2.9% 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 unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in East Timor?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in East Timor was 3.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2023.
- How does East Timor rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- East Timor ranks 174th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.6%. 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 Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.