Share of employment in agriculture in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Share of employment in agriculture was 46.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Timor-Leste, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of employment in agriculture in Timor-Leste stood at 46.0%.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Timor-Leste peaked at 59.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 37.8%, in 2021.
That places Timor-Leste 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture in Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 59.7% | — |
| 1992 | 59.0% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 58.4% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 57.8% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 57.3% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 56.8% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 56.6% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 57.0% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 56.4% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 54.5% | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 53.3% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 54.2% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 54.5% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 54.7% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 54.2% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 54.7% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 53.7% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 52.6% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 51.1% | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 50.8% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 49.5% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 48.8% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 48.0% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 46.7% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 45.4% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 44.1% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 43.8% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 43.1% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 39.8% | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 39.4% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 37.8% | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 48.3% | +27.6% |
| 2023 | 48.4% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 46.3% | -4.2% |
| 2025 | 46.0% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.7% | 56.4% | 59.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 53.7% | 51.1% | 54.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.0% | 39.8% | 50.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.4% | 37.8% | 48.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
More agriculture & rural data for Timor-Leste
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 376.12 million current US$ (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.2% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 268.53 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population 1.01 million (2025)
- Rural population 71.2% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.2% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2016 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture in Timor-Leste?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Timor-Leste was 46.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 59.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.8% in 2021.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Timor-Leste ranks 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Timor-Leste data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of working people employed in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.