Rural population in East Timor
East Timor: Rural population was 1.01 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in East Timor, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in East Timor stood at 1.01 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in East Timor peaked at 1.01 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 420,912, in 1960.
That places East Timor 128th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in East Timor, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 420,912 | — |
| 1961 | 427,172 | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 433,513 | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 439,906 | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 446,350 | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 452,824 | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 459,336 | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 465,889 | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 472,473 | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 479,070 | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 485,665 | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 492,219 | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 498,663 | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 504,829 | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 509,161 | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 512,791 | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 518,103 | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 524,320 | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 530,197 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 535,517 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 541,738 | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 547,419 | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 551,400 | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 555,258 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 559,508 | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 564,412 | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 569,828 | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 575,881 | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 582,751 | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 591,135 | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 600,673 | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 612,196 | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 626,173 | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 640,966 | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 656,429 | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 672,259 | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 688,326 | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 704,806 | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 721,402 | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 636,213 | -11.8% |
| 2000 | 565,418 | -11.1% |
| 2001 | 613,495 | +8.5% |
| 2002 | 660,683 | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 685,264 | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 690,264 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 698,813 | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 711,727 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 723,508 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 735,010 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 747,492 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 763,181 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 781,215 | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 798,805 | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 815,910 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 832,694 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 849,565 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 866,620 | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 884,202 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 902,759 | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 922,176 | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 942,003 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 961,397 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 977,872 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 988,443 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 999,158 | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 1.01 million | +1.1% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 1.01 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.28 million, 19% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 1.01 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 377,513, 2.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 449,744 | 420,912 | 479,070 | 10 |
| 1970s | 511,146 | 485,665 | 535,517 | 10 |
| 1980s | 563,933 | 541,738 | 591,135 | 10 |
| 1990s | 655,944 | 600,673 | 721,402 | 10 |
| 2000s | 683,167 | 565,418 | 747,492 | 10 |
| 2010s | 841,713 | 763,181 | 922,176 | 10 |
| 2020s | 979,842 | 942,003 | 1.01 million | 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 in East Timor?
- Rural population in East Timor was 1.01 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 1.01 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 420,912 in 1960.
- How does East Timor rank for rural population?
- East Timor ranks 128th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.