Rural population growth (annual %) in East Timor
East Timor: Rural population growth (annual %) was 1.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in East Timor, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in East Timor stood at 1.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 45.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in East Timor peaked at 8.2% in 2001 and was at its lowest, -12.6%, in 1999.
East Timor ranks 51st of 210 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth (annual %) in East Timor, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.5% | — |
| 1962 | 1.5% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 1.5% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 1.5% | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 1.4% | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 1.4% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 1.4% | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 1.4% | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 1.4% | -1.4% |
| 1971 | 1.3% | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 1.3% | -3.0% |
| 1973 | 1.2% | -5.5% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | -30.5% |
| 1975 | 0.7% | -16.9% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | +45.1% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | +15.7% |
| 1978 | 1.1% | -6.6% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | -10.4% |
| 1980 | 1.2% | +15.7% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | -9.7% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | -30.5% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | -3.8% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 0.9% | +14.4% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | +9.4% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | +10.6% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | +12.2% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | +20.5% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | +12.1% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | +18.7% |
| 1992 | 2.3% | +18.8% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 2.3% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | -12.6% | -639.9% |
| 2000 | -11.8% | -6.1% |
| 2001 | 8.2% | -169.2% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | -9.2% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | -50.7% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -80.1% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | +69.3% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | +48.8% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -10.3% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 2.1% | +23.4% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +12.4% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -4.7% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -16.6% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -36.7% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 1.1% | +1.7% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 1.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 1.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0%, 22.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | -639.9% | 2.3% | -12.6% |
| 2001 | +169.2% | -11.8% | 8.2% |
| 2004 | -80.1% | 3.7% | 0.7% |
| 2005 | +69.3% | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| 2003 | -50.7% | 7.4% | 3.7% |
| 2006 | +48.8% | 1.2% | 1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | -12.6% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | -11.8% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 2.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More agriculture & rural data for East Timor
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2016 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 268.53 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7121 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 20.2% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.2% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in East Timor?
- Rural population growth in East Timor was 1.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2% in 2001.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was -12.6% in 1999.
- How does East Timor rank for rural population growth?
- East Timor ranks 51st out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.