Share of land area used for agriculture in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Share of land area used for agriculture was 23.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Timor-Leste, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Timor-Leste recorded 23.0% for share of land area used for agriculture in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Timor-Leste peaked at 23.1% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 1961.
Timor-Leste ranks 142nd of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 15.5% | — |
| 1962 | 15.5% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 15.5% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 15.5% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 15.5% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 15.5% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 15.6% | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 15.6% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 15.7% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 16.3% | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 16.3% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 16.5% | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 16.8% | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 16.8% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 17.1% | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 17.4% | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 17.6% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 18.2% | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 18.6% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 18.8% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 19.0% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 19.1% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 19.2% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 19.4% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 19.6% | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 19.8% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 20.1% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 20.4% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 20.5% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 21.4% | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 22.2% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 22.5% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 22.9% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 22.9% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 23.0% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 23.1% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 22.9% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 22.7% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 22.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 22.6% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 22.6% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 22.4% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 22.4% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 22.4% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 22.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 22.3% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 22.6% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 22.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 22.8% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 22.8% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 22.8% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 22.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 22.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 22.9% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 23.0% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 23.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 23.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 23.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 23.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.5% | 15.5% | 15.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 17.2% | 16.3% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.6% | 18.8% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.6% | 21.4% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.5% | 22.3% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.9% | 22.7% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.0% | 23.0% | 23.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
- 139 Barbados 23.3% compare
- 140 Estonia 23.1% compare
- 141 Saint Kitts and Nevis 23.1% compare
- 143 Iraq 21.8% compare
- 144 Bosnia and Herzegovina 21.7% compare
- 145 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 21.6% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Timor-Leste
- Rural population 71.2% (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 376.12 million current US$ (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 268.53 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population 1.01 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2016 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.2% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 20.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Timor-Leste?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Timor-Leste was 23.0% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 1997.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 1961.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Timor-Leste ranks 142nd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Timor-Leste data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.