View source for Demographics of Timor-Leste

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Infobox place demographics|place=[[Timor-Leste]]|image=File:Timor-Leste single age population pyramid 2020.png|image_size=350|caption=Population pyramid of Timor-Leste in 2020|size_of_population=1,445,006 (2022 est.)|nation=Timorese|age_0–14_years=38.29%|age_15–64_years=56.38%|age_65_years=5.33%|growth=2.15% (2022 est.)|birth=30.94 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)|death=5.61 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)|net_migration=-3.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)|sr_at_birth=1.07 male(s)/female|sr_under_15=1.06 male(s)/female|sr_65_years_over=0.79 male(s)/female|total_mf_ratio=1 male(s)/female (2022 est.)|infant_mortality=33.69 deaths/1,000 live births|life=69.92 years|life_male=68.25 years|life_female=71.7 years|fertility=4.21 children born/woman (2022 est.)}}
This is a [[demographics|demography]] of the [[population]] of [[Timor-Leste]] including [[population density]], [[Ethnic group|ethnicity]], education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
==Population size and structure==
[[File:East Timor demographic change.png|thumb|500px|left|alt=Timor-Leste demographic change|Timor-Leste's population (1861-2011).]]
[[File:Timor-Leste (East Timor)  Population 1950-2021 Forecast 2022-2032 UN World Population Prospects 2022.svg|thumb|left|350px|[[Population]], [[fertility rate]] and [[net reproduction rate]], United Nations estimates]]
{{clear}}
1,242,000 (2017)
{{Historical populations
| title= Population census
| source = <ref>{{cite report| title= Issue on East Timor|url=https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/sites/www.un.org.dppa.decolonization/files/decon_num_7-1.pdf|publisher=United Nations|date=1976}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |title = Penduduk Indonesia Hasil Sensus Penduduk 1990 |trans-title= Indonesian Population - 1990 Population Census Results|language=Indonesian |url=https://web-api.bps.go.id/download.php?f=lPa907863yGkGImIGK1WtEpWMFZMOFRHS2UrQmpIUkVoaVI5QTlCWjVHVXVNcy9SR05pVkR1cjB6RDFPWjd1KzU2Vk5RbTdSTW9yY3d3bzFBUm8wVEtiZStxQ29ZdkRvcGtPbFRKSHRIZDFQOEc3YlJkbG9WdXZ2d1FaRXhvVmE3dmxRV3ZuckJxQ2d1VkJNTzBMUG1TN2N5VEtmVXVEVjd4RG84dkdXK1BkQkhRN2RUNDliQnV0WWVvZXZ4Y0I4REhHblpHRWZONjIrTVR2cHNGaTlFaFFlU3RVbDBvKzgxUlFzL2JDQ0Mwb1BmVEliTzgreDZyUFVHODhaVmZJYU9IM2NoREU5b0VqWENFeDd4TTY4WHlSU2NhaVU1QzlMWjNFaDRBPT0=&_gl=1*1tpd99q*_ga*ODYzNTQ0ODc0LjE3NDE5MjMwMzk.*_ga_XXTTVXWHDB*MTc0MjM2NzQ2Ny4yLjEuMTc0MjM2Nzk1Mi4wLjAuMA.. |date=1990 | publisher= Statistics Indonesia}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title= Population and Housing Census 2022|url=https://inetl-ip.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Final-Main-Report_TLPHC-Census_18052023.pdf|date=2022|publisher=National Institute Of Statistics Timor-Leste}}</ref>
| percentages = pagr
|1970 |609,477
|1980 |555,350
|1990 |747,557
|2004 |923,198
|2010 |1,066,409
|2015 |1,183,643
|2022 |1,341,737
}}
===Age groups===
{{Hidden begin 
|title= Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 11.VII.2015) <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2_2015-V2-Population-by-Age-Sex.xls |title=Population by Age & Sex |website=Statistics Timor-Leste General Directorate of Statistics |publisher=Statistics Timor-Leste |access-date=29 January 2020}}</ref>
|titlestyle = background:#EEBC35;
}}	

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 601 112
| align="right" | 582 531
| align="right" | 1 183 643
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0-4
| align="right" | 77 896
| align="right" | 72 410
| align="right" | 150 306
| align="right" | 12.70
|-
| align="right" | 5-9
| align="right" | 80 377
| align="right" | 75 705
| align="right" | 156 082
| align="right" | 13.19
|-
| align="right" | 10-14
| align="right" | 80 721
| align="right" | 75 548
| align="right" | 156 269
| align="right" | 13.20
|-
| align="right" | 15-19
| align="right" | 69 839
| align="right" | 67 033
| align="right" | 136 872 
| align="right" | 11.56
|-
| align="right" | 20-24
| align="right" | 52 759
| align="right" | 54 244
| align="right" | 107 003
| align="right" | 9.04
|-
| align="right" | 25-29
| align="right" | 45 486
| align="right" | 47 464
| align="right" | 92 950
| align="right" | 7.85
|-
| align="right" | 30-34
| align="right" | 35 934
| align="right" | 36 461
| align="right" | 72 395
| align="right" | 6.12
|-
| align="right" | 35-39
| align="right" | 24 245
| align="right" | 24 645
| align="right" | 48 890
| align="right" | 4.13
|-
| align="right" | 40-44
| align="right" | 29 097
| align="right" | 26 779
| align="right" | 55 876
| align="right" | 4.72
|-
| align="right" | 45-49
| align="right" | 25 044
| align="right" | 22 274
| align="right" | 47 318
| align="right" | 4.00
|-
| align="right" | 50-54
| align="right" | 18 661
| align="right" | 16 776
| align="right" | 35 437
| align="right" | 2.99
|-
| align="right" | 55-59
| align="right" | 14 436
| align="right" | 12 867
| align="right" | 27 303
| align="right" | 2.31
|-
| align="right" | 60-64
| align="right" | 13 864
| align="right" | 14 516
| align="right" | 28 380
| align="right" | 2.40
|-
| align="right" | 65-69
| align="right" | 14 611
| align="right" | 16 427
| align="right" | 31 038
| align="right" | 2.62
|-
| align="right" | 70-74
| align="right" | 8 949
| align="right" | 9 204
| align="right" | 18 153
| align="right" | 1.53
|-
| align="right" | 75-79
| align="right" | 4 862
| align="right" | 5 009
| align="right" | 9 961
| align="right" | 0.84
|-
| align="right" | 80-84
| align="right" | 2 399
| align="right" | 2 798
| align="right" | 5 197
| align="right" | 0.44
|-
| align="right" | 85+
| align="right" | 1 932
| align="right" | 2 281
| align="right" | 4 213
| align="right" | 0.36
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0-14
| align="right" | 238 994
| align="right" | 223 663
| align="right" | 462 657
| align="right" | 39.09
|-
| align="right" | 15-64
| align="right" | 329 365
| align="right" | 323 059
| align="right" | 652 334
| align="right" | 55.11
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 32 753
| align="right" | 35 809
| align="right" | 68 562
| align="right" | 5.79
|-
|}
{{Hidden end}}

{{Hidden begin 
|title= Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2018) (Data refer to national projections.): <ref>{{cite web | url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2020/ | title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics }}</ref>
|titlestyle = background:#EEBC35;
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! width="80pt"|Age group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 642 639
| align="right" | 618 768
| align="right" | 1 261 407
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 86 042
| align="right" | 78 681
| align="right" | 164 723
| align="right" | 13.06
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 84 950
| align="right" | 76 259
| align="right" | 161 209
| align="right" | 12.78
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 82 088
| align="right" | 75 015
| align="right" | 157 103
| align="right" | 12.45
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 75 602
| align="right" | 71 942
| align="right" | 147 544
| align="right" | 11.70
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 60 513
| align="right" | 60 703
| align="right" | 121 216
| align="right" | 9.61
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 46 777
| align="right" | 50 239
| align="right" | 97 016
| align="right" | 7.69
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 40 344
| align="right" | 42 718
| align="right" | 83 062
| align="right" | 6.58
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 28 909
| align="right" | 30 013
| align="right" | 58 922
| align="right" | 4.67
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 24 228
| align="right" | 23 965
| align="right" | 48 193
| align="right" | 3.82
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 27 718
| align="right" | 25 146
| align="right" | 52 864
| align="right" | 4.19
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 21 620
| align="right" | 19 325
| align="right" | 40 945
| align="right" | 3.25
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 16 674
| align="right" | 15 419
| align="right" | 32 093
| align="right" | 2.54
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 14 583
| align="right" | 14 712
| align="right" | 29 295
| align="right" | 2.32
|-
| align="right" | 65-69
| align="right" | 11 764
| align="right" | 12 441
| align="right" | 24 205
| align="right" | 1.92
|-
| align="right" | 70-74
| align="right" | 9 187
| align="right" | 9 388
| align="right" | 18 575
| align="right" | 1.47
|-
| align="right" | 75-79
| align="right" | 6 452
| align="right" | 6 789
| align="right" | 13 241
| align="right" | 1.05
|-
| align="right" | 80+
| align="right" | 5 188
| align="right" | 6 013
| align="right" | 11 201
| align="right" | 0.89
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 253 080
| align="right" | 229 955
| align="right" | 483 035
| align="right" | 38.29
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 356 968
| align="right" | 354 182
| align="right" | 711 150
| align="right" | 56.38
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 32 591
| align="right" | 34 631
| align="right" | 67 222
| align="right" | 5.33
|-
|}
{{Hidden end}}

===Median age===
In 2015 the [[median age]] of the population was 19.6 years old. The population living in rural areas is slightly younger (19.0) compared to the population living in urban areas (20.6).
[[Ainaro Municipality]] has the lowest median age with 17.3 years, while [[Dili Municipality]] has the highest median age with 21.2 years.<ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Wall-Chart-Poster-Landscape-Final-English-rev.pdf 2015 Timor-Leste Population and Housing Census – Data Sheet]</ref>

==Vital statistics==

===UN estimates===

Registration of vital events is in Timor-Leste not complete. The Population Department of the [[United Nations]] prepared the following estimates. Population estimates account for under numeration in population censuses.<ref>{{cite UN WPP|2022|rows=8789:8860|cols=M,X,AE,S,AH,S,AA,AV,AI}}</ref>

{{sticky-header}}{{sort under}}{{table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sort-under sticky-header-multi" style="text-align:right;"
|-
!
! style="width:80pt;"|Mid-year population (thousands)
! style="width:80pt;"|Live births (thousands)
! style="width:80pt;"|Deaths (thousands)
! style="width:80pt;"|Natural change (thousands)
! style="width:80pt;"|Crude birth rate (per 1000)
! style="width:80pt;"|Crude death rate (per 1000)
! style="width:80pt;"|Natural change (per 1000)
! style="width:80pt;"|[[Total fertility rate]] (TFR)
! style="width:80pt;"|[[Infant mortality]] (per 1000 live births)
! style="width:80pt;"|[[Life expectancy]] (in years)
|-
|1950
|   415
|   18
|   15
|   3
|43.4
|35.9
|7.5
|6.61
|274.2
|29.05
|-
|1951
|  418
|  18
|  14
|  4
|43.7
|34.2
|9.5
|6.59
|271.8
|29.30
|-
|1952
|  423
|  19
|  14
|  4
|43.9
|33.4
|10.5
|6.56
|268.5
|29.62
|-
|1953
|  427
|  19
|  14
|  5
|44.2
|32.9
|11.2
|6.54
|265.8
|29.89
|-
|1954
|  432
|  19
|  14
|  5
|44.4
|32.5
|11.9
|6.51
|262.8
|30.20
|-
|1955
|  437
|  20
|  14
|  5
|44.6
|32.1
|12.5
|6.48
|259.7
|30.52
|-
|1956
|  443
|  20
|  14
|  6
|44.8
|31.8
|13.0
|6.45
|256.7
|30.83
|-
|1957
|  449
|  20
|  14
|  6
|45.1
|31.6
|13.5
|6.42
|254.0
|31.12
|-
|1958
|  455
|  21
|  14
|  6
|45.3
|31.3
|14.0
|6.39
|251.3
|31.40
|-
|1959
|  462
|  21
|  14
|  7
|45.5
|31.1
|14.4
|6.36
|248.6
|31.70
|-
|1960
|  469
|  21
|  14
|  7
|45.7
|30.6
|15.1
|6.32
|244.3
|32.20
|-
|1961
|  476
|  22
|  14
|  7
|45.7
|30.2
|15.5
|6.27
|241.1
|32.57
|-
|1962
|  483
|  22
|  14
|  8
|45.7
|29.9
|15.9
|6.22
|237.9
|32.95
|-
|1963
|  491
|  22
|  15
|  8
|45.6
|29.5
|16.1
|6.16
|235.4
|33.26
|-
|1964
|  499
|  23
|  15
|  8
|45.5
|29.2
|16.3
|6.08
|232.5
|33.60
|-
|1965
|  507
|  23
|  14
|  9
|45.2
|28.3
|16.9
|6.01
|226.4
|34.36
|-
|1966
|  516
|  23
|  14
|  9
|44.9
|27.6
|17.2
|5.93
|221.2
|35.00
|-
|1967
|  525
|  23
|  14
|  9
|44.5
|26.9
|17.6
|5.86
|215.3
|35.73
|-
|1968
|  535
|  24
|  14
|  9
|44.1
|26.3
|17.7
|5.79
|211.5
|36.23
|-
|1969
|  544
|  24
|  14
|  10
|43.6
|25.8
|17.8
|5.72
|207.8
|36.71
|-
|1970
|  554
|  24
|  14
|  10
|43.1
|25.3
|17.8
|5.66
|204.3
|37.17
|-
|1971
|  564
|  24
|  14
|  10
|42.4
|24.6
|17.7
|5.58
|200.2
|37.72
|-
|1972
|  574
|  24
|  14
|  10
|41.6
|24.0
|17.6
|5.49
|195.8
|38.32
|-
|1973
|  584
|  24
|  14
|  10
|40.7
|23.2
|17.5
|5.39
|190.7
|38.99
|-
|1974
|  592
|  24
|  15
|  9
|39.8
|25.0
|14.8
|5.29
|200.8
|36.88
|-
|1975
|  600
|  23
|  24
| align="right" style="color: red" | − 0
|39.1
|39.8
| align="right" style="color: red" | −0.7
|5.19
|241.2
|24.83
|-
|1976
|  610
|  23
|  23
|  0
|38.3
|37.9
|0.4
|5.12
|229.8
|25.96
|-
|1977
|  619
|  23
|  24
| align="right" style="color: red" | −1
|37.9
|39.9
| align="right" style="color: red" | −2.0
|5.09
|242.6
|24.43
|-
|1978
|  628
|  24
|  27
| align="right" style="color: red" | − 4
|37.9
|43.8
| align="right" style="color: red" | −5.9
|5.09
|266.9
|21.84
|-
|1979
|  635
|  24
|  27
| align="right" style="color: red" | − 2
|38.3
|42.3
| align="right" style="color: red" | −3.9
|5.14
|258.8
|22.53
|-
|1980
|  642
|  25
|  21
|  3
|39.0
|33.6
|5.4
|5.22
|203.3
|28.45
|-
|1981
|  649
|  27
|  21
|  6
|41.3
|32.5
|8.8
|5.53
|193.5
|29.57
|-
|1982
|  655
|  27
|  21
|  7
|41.6
|31.3
|10.3
|5.56
|183.4
|30.82
|-
|1983
|  662
|  28
|  20
|  7
|41.9
|30.6
|11.3
|5.59
|177.0
|31.64
|-
|1984
|  671
|  28
|  19
|  9
|42.2
|28.4
|13.7
|5.61
|161.5
|33.75
|-
|1985
|  682
|  29
|  19
|  9
|42.4
|28.5
|13.9
|5.65
|161.4
|33.80
|-
|1986
|  694
|  29
|  19
|  10
|42.5
|28.1
|14.5
|5.67
|157.4
|34.34
|-
|1987
|  708
|  30
|  19
|  11
|42.5
|26.7
|15.7
|5.68
|148.7
|35.64
|-
|1988
|  723
|  31
|  19
|  11
|42.5
|26.6
|15.8
|5.72
|148.4
|35.75
|-
|1989
|  740
|  31
|  14
|  17
|42.3
|19.1
|23.3
|5.76
|144.4
|44.55
|-
|1990
|  758
|  32
|  14
|  18
|42.2
|18.7
|23.5
|5.81
|142.6
|44.95
|-
|1991
|  773
|  32
|  14
|  18
|41.8
|18.4
|23.3
|5.84
|140.8
|44.99
|-
|1992
|  784
|  33
|  14
|  19
|41.6
|17.5
|24.1
|5.87
|134.2
|46.28
|-
|1993
|  795
|  33
|  13
|  20
|41.2
|16.8
|24.4
|5.88
|128.5
|47.25
|-
|1994
|  807
|  33
|  13
|  20
|40.9
|16.1
|24.8
|5.91
|123.6
|48.25
|-
|1995
|  819
|  33
|  13
|  20
|40.6
|16.3
|24.3
|5.94
|123.5
|48.02
|-
|1996
|  831
|  34
|  13
|  20
|40.2
|15.8
|24.4
|5.94
|118.7
|48.82
|-
|1997
|  843
|  34
|  13
|  21
|39.9
|15.4
|24.5
|5.96
|114.2
|49.52
|-
|1998
|  855
|  34
|  13
|  21
|39.6
|15.7
|23.9
|5.96
|115.1
|49.12
|-
|1999
|  867
|  34
|  16
|  19
|39.4
|18.0
|21.4
|5.97
|118.0
|45.70
|-
|2000
|  878
|  35
|  9
|  26
|39.1
|10.2
|28.9
|5.98
|77.0
|58.57
|-
|2001
|  893
|  35
|  9
|  26
|39.1
|9.9
|29.2
|6.01
|73.3
|59.36
|-
|2002
|  910
|  36
|  9
|  27
|39.0
|9.6
|29.4
|6.02
|69.7
|60.15
|-
|2003
|  927
|  36
|  9
|  27
|38.3
|9.3
|29.0
|5.95
|66.5
|60.87
|-
|2004
|  946
|  36
|  9
|  27
|37.6
|9.1
|28.5
|5.85
|63.1
|61.63
|-
|2005
|  969
|  35
|  9
|  27
|36.5
|8.8
|27.7
|5.71
|59.8
|62.33
|-
|2006
|  995
|  35
|  8
|  27
|35.4
|8.5
|26.9
|5.56
|56.7
|63.07
|-
|2007
|  1 019
|  35
|  8
|  26
|34.2
|8.3
|25.9
|5.40
|53.9
|63.72
|-
|2008
|  1 043
|  35
|  8
|  26
|33.2
|8.1
|25.1
|5.23
|51.4
|64.33
|-
|2009
|  1 066
|  35
|  9
|  26
|32.3
|8.0
|24.3
|5.04
|49.2
|64.85
|-
|2010
|  1 088
|  34
|  9
|  26
|31.4
|8.0
|23.4
|4.82
|47.3
|65.30
|-
|2011
|  1 113
|  34
|  9
|  25
|30.7
|7.9
|22.8
|4.61
|45.7
|65.70
|-
|2012
|  1 138
|  34
|  9
|  25
|29.8
|7.7
|22.1
|4.40
|44.1
|66.08
|-
|2013
|  1 162
|  34
|  9
|  25
|29.1
|7.6
|21.5
|4.21
|42.6
|66.44
|-
|2014
|  1 185
|  34
|  9
|  25
|28.4
|7.6
|20.9
|4.00
|41.2
|66.79
|-
|2015
|  1 206
|  33
|  9
|  24
|27.7
|7.5
|20.2
|3.78
|39.8
|67.14
|-
|2016
|  1 225
|  33
|  9
|  24
|27.0
|7.3
|19.7
|3.58
|38.5
|67.45
|-
|2017
|  1 243
|  33
|  9
|  24
|26.5
|7.2
|19.3
|3.40
|37.3
|67.75
|-
|2018
|  1 262
|  33
|  9
|  24
|25.9
|7.0
|18.9
|3.24
|36.2
|68.02
|-
|2019
|  1 280
|  33
|  9
|  24
|25.5
|6.9
|18.6
|3.12
|35.2
|68.27
|-
|2020
|  1 300
|  33
|  9
|  24
|25.3
|6.8
|18.4
|3.01
|34.2
|68.48
|-
|2021
|  1 321
|  33
|  10
|  23
|24.9
|7.2
|17.7
|2.89
|33.4
|67.74
|-
|2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2.80
|
|
|-
|2023
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2.71
|
|
|-
|2024
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2.63
|
|
|-
|2024
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2.56
|
|
|-
|}

===Demographic and Health Surveys===
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/dhs#_r=&collection=&country=&dtype=&from=1890&page=15&ps=&sk=&sort_by=nation&sort_order=&to=2014&topic=&view=s&vk=|title = MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:70pt;"| Year
! style="width:50pt;"| CBR (Total)
! style="width:50pt;"| TFR (Total)
! style="width:50pt;"| CBR (Urban)
! style="width:50pt;"| TFR (Urban)
! style="width:50pt;"| CBR (Rural)
! style="width:50pt;"| TFR (Rural)
|-
| 2003
| style="text-align:right;"| 52.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 50.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
|-
| 2009–2010
| style="text-align:right;"| 33.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.7 (5.1)
| style="text-align:right;"| 33.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.9 (4.2)
| style="text-align:right;"| 33.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.0 (5.4)
|-
| 2016
| style="text-align:right;"| 26.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.2 (3.5)
| style="text-align:right;"| 28.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.5 (3.0)
| style="text-align:right;"| 26.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.6 (3.8)
|-
|}

=== Fertility rate by municipality ===
[[Aileu Municipality]] and [[Ainaro Municipality]] have the highest fertility rate with 5.5 children per woman, followed by [[Ermera Municipality]] with 5.4 children per woman.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timor-Leste Population and Housing Census 2015 - Analytical Report on Fertility |url=http://www.statistics.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2015-Census-Fertility-Report12.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019150740/http://www.statistics.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2015-Census-Fertility-Report12.pdf |archive-date=2018-10-19 |website=statistics.gov.tl}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! class="sort" | Municipality
! class="sort" | Fertility rate in 2004
! class="sort" | Fertility rate in 2010
! class="sort" | Fertility rate in 2015
! class="sort" | Decline between 2004 and 2015
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Dili Municipality|Dili]] ||6.7 || 5.3 || 3.9 || {{decrease}} 2.8
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Liquiçá Municipality|Liquiçá]] || 7.1 || 6.2 || 5.1 || {{decrease}} 2.0
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Cova Lima Municipality|Covalima]] || 7.0 || 5.6 || 4.7 || {{decrease}} 2.3 
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Manufahi Municipality|Manufahi]] || 7.3 || 5.6 || 4.9 || {{decrease}} 2.4
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Manatuto Municipality|Manatuto]] || 6.7 || 5.6 || 4.6 || {{decrease}} 2.1
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Aileu Municipality|Aileu]] || 8.4 || 7.0 || 5.5 || {{decrease}} 3.0
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Lautém Municipality|Lautém]] || 7.7 || 6.4 || 5.2 || {{decrease}} 2.5 
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Bobonaro Municipality|Bobonaro]] || 6.9 || 5.9 || 4.7 || {{decrease}} 2.2
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Baucau Municipality|Baucau]] || 6.9 || 5.8 || 4.7 || {{decrease}} 2.2 
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Viqueque Municipality|Viqueque]] || 6.3 || 5.3 || 4.6 || {{decrease}} 1.7 
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Ermera Municipality|Ermera]] || 8.2 || 6.9 || 5.4 || {{decrease}} 2.8
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Ainaro Municipality|Ainaro]] || 8.3 || 6.4 || 5.5 || {{decrease}} 2.8
|-
| style="text-align:left"| [[Oecusse]] (SAR) || 6.9 || 5.2 || 4.2 || {{decrease}} 2.7
|-
! style="text-align:left"| {{flag|Timor-Leste}} || 7.2 || 5.9 || 4.7 || {{decrease}} 2.5
|}
Between 2014/15, around 43.5% of the births occurred in a health facility, up from 36.3% in 2010/11. This percentage varies widely from 77.5% in [[Dili Municipality]] to only 15.1% of all births in [[Ermera Municipality]].

=== Life expectancy at birth ===
Average [[life expectancy]] at age 0 of the total population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|title=World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations|website=esa.un.org|access-date=2018-08-26}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Period
!Life expectancy <br />in Years
!Period
!Life expectancy in<br />Years
|-
|1950–1955
|30.0
|1985–1990
|46.5
|-
|1955–1960
|32.5
|1990–1995
|50.5
|-
|1960–1965
|35.0
|1995–2000
|57.0
|-
|1965–1970
|37.5
|2000–2005
|61.5
|-
|1970–1975
|40.0
|2005–2010
|66.4
|-
|1975–1980
|31.2
|2010–2015
|67.7
|-
|1980–1985
|39.9
|
|
|}

==Ethnic groups==
[[File:Man in traditional dress, East Timor.jpg|thumb|upright|An East Timorese man partially dressed in traditional clothing]]
:[[Austronesian people|Austronesian]] (Malayo-Polynesian), [[Papuan peoples|Papuan]], small [[List of Chinese ethnic groups|Chinese]] particularly [[Cantonese people]] and [[Europeans]] particularly [[Portuguese people]] descent.

==Religion==
{{main|Religion in Timor-Leste}}{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2025}}
:[[Roman Catholic]] 97.6% (2015 est.)
:[[Protestant]]/[[Evangelical]] 2%  (2015 est.)
:[[Islam]] 0.2%  (2015 est.)
:Other 0.2% (2015 est.)

==Languages==
:[[Tetum language|Tetum]] ([[official language|official]]), [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ([[official language|official]]),  [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] (constitutionally defined as a 'working language') and [[English language|English]] (constitutionally defined as a 'working language').

:''Note:'' There are a total of about 16 indigenous languages, of which Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people. The Tetum language is partially influenced by European languages, particularly Portuguese, a legacy of Portuguese rule.

An extinct Portuguese creole language, [[Bidau Creole Portuguese]], was spoken in the Dili suburb of Bidau, Nain Feto, spoken by the Portuguese-Timorese mestiço population; it went extinct by the 1960s. A dialect of Malay-based local creole called [[malay trade and creole languages#Dili Malay|Dili Malay]] is spoken by a number of residents in the capital [[Dili]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

===Literacy===

: ''definition:'' age 15 and over can read and write
: {| class="wikitable"
| total population || {{percentage bar|67.5}}
|-
| male || {{percentage bar|71.5}}
|-
| female || {{percentage bar|63.4}}
|}(2015 est.)

After achieving independence, Timor-Leste had a high illiteracy rate, with 55% of women and 46% of men illiterate. Approximately 18% of the adult population had achieved [[secondary education]] and approximately 1.4% of them had an [[academic degree]] or achieved other [[higher education]], nearly all of whom resided in urban areas, primarily the capital [[Dili]]. Attempts to improve education services face challenges in the form of a lack of educated and experienced  teachers. Continuing high fertility rates also translates to greater strains on the government to increase education budgets. The United Nations (UN) has assisted in rebuilding the education system increasing the number of teachers and rehabilitating many schools, leading to a rapid increase in school enrollment.  However, problems remain as the quality of education was deemed secondary to the need to increase enrollment in Timor-Leste.

Another problem faced in increasing the education levels includes the economic conditions of the population. With high proportions of the population living below the poverty line and large households with many children, the direct costs of schooling is significant for families. Lack of monetary resources to send children to school imposes greater difficulty in increasing enrollment rates in schools. In addition, parents may be disillusioned with the poor quality of education and thus may not even be interested to send their children to schools. Much remains to be done to establish a new curriculum and support it with texts and learning materials to improve the quality of education. The variety of language spoken also means a large number of children do not speak the language of instruction – Portuguese – and this causes them to be marginalised. Many teachers do not speak Portuguese.

The inaccessibility of schools with proper facilities adds to the problem of providing adequate education to the population. Schools are located far away from homes and, coupled with the poor conditions of schools, may inhibit the early enrollment of children or lead to early drop-outs. Schools in rural areas face substantial lack of facilities to render them safe. As for the schools in urban areas, significant urban migration has meant that the supply of schools in urban areas have not managed to keep up with the increasing demand; leading to overcrowding in urban schools.

Besides the problems faced at the level of the individual households and the schools, problems in the governance and management of education are also significant impediments to raising education levels in Timor-Leste. The lack of qualified personnel in critical positions within the education ministry has meant that overall policy making, planning and management functions are restricted. Management of schools at the district level is often under-qualified due to the lack of formal training. Today therefore, Timor-Leste faces many challenges in increasing the literacy rates of their people.

At the end of Portuguese rule, literacy was at 5%.<ref>{{cite book|author=Roslyn Appleby|title=ELT, Gender and International Development: Myths of Progress in a Neocolonial World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WYeGUXRBjGUC&pg=PA92|date=30 August 2010|publisher=Multilingual Matters|isbn=978-1-84769-303-7|page=92}}</ref> Timor-Leste's adult [[literacy]] rate in 2010 was 58.3%, up from 37.6% in 2001.<ref name=unescolit>{{cite web|title=National adult literacy rates (15+), youth literacy rates (15–24) and elderly literacy rates (65+)|url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=210|publisher=UNESCO Institute for Statistics}}</ref> By 2021 it was 68% among adults, and 84% among those aged 15–24, being slightly higher among women than men.<ref name="BTI2022"/>{{rp|27}}

==Education==
[[File:Portuguese School of Díli, Timor-Leste.jpg|thumb|[[Escola Portuguesa Ruy Cinatti]], the Portuguese School of Díli]]
Timor-Leste's adult [[literacy]] rate in 2010 was 58.3%, up from 37.6% in 2001.<ref name=unescolit>{{cite web|title=National adult literacy rates (15+), youth literacy rates (15–24) and elderly literacy rates (65+)|url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=210|publisher=UNESCO Institute for Statistics}}</ref> At the end of Portuguese rule, literacy was at 5%.<ref>{{cite book|author=Roslyn Appleby|title=ELT, Gender and International Development: Myths of Progress in a Neocolonial World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WYeGUXRBjGUC&pg=PA92|date=30 August 2010|publisher=Multilingual Matters|isbn=978-1-84769-303-7|page=92}}</ref> By 2021 it was 68% among adults, and 84% among those aged 15-24, being slightly higher among women than men.<ref name="BTI2022">{{cite web |url=https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/TLS |title=Timor-Leste Country Report 2022 |publisher=Bertelsmann Stiftung |year=2022 |access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>{{rp|27}} More girls than boys attend school, although some drop out upon reaching puberty.<ref name="BTI2022"/>{{rp|25}} Primary schools exist throughout the country, although the quality of materials and teaching is often poor. Secondary schools are generally limited to municipal capitals. Education takes up 10% of the national budget.<ref name="BTI2022"/>{{rp|27}}

As of 2016 22% of working age women (15-49) and 19% of working age men had no education, 15% of women and 18% of men had some primary education, 52% of women and 51% of men had some secondary education, and 11% of women and 12% of men had higher education. Overall, 75% of women and 82% of men were literate.<ref name="DHS2018">{{cite web |url=https://www.dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/SR244/SR244.pdf |title=Timor-Leste 2016 Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings |publisher=General Directorate of Statistics |date=2018 |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>{{rp|2}}

The country's main university is the [[National University of East Timor]]. There are also four colleges.<ref name="robinson">{{Cite book |last=Robinson |first=Geoffrey |title=If You Leave Us Here, We Will Die: How Genocide Was Stopped in East Timor |date=2010 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton |page=72}}</ref>

Since independence, both [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] and Tetum have lost ground as [[Medium of instruction|media of instruction]], while [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] has increased: in 2001 only 8.4% of primary school and 6.8% of secondary school students attended a Portuguese-medium school; by 2005 this had increased to 81.6% for primary and 46.3% for secondary schools.<ref name=edulang>{{cite web|title=Table 5.7 – Profile Of Students That Attended The 2004/05 Academic Year By Rural And Urban Areas And By District|url=http://dne.mof.gov.tl/TLSLS/StatisticalData/5_Education/Main%20Tables/table5.7.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091114124605/http://dne.mof.gov.tl/TLSLS/StatisticalData/5_Education/Main%20Tables/table5.7.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 November 2009|publisher=Direcção Nacional de Estatística}}</ref> Indonesian formerly played a considerable role in education, being used by 73.7% of all secondary school students as a medium of instruction, but by 2005 Portuguese was used by most schools in [[Baucau District|Baucau]], [[Manatuto District|Manatuto]], as well as the capital district.<ref name=edulang/> Portugal provides support to about 3% of the public schools in Timor-Leste, focused on those in urban areas, further encouraging the use of the Portuguese language.<ref name="BTI2022"/>{{rp|28}}

The [[Philippines]] has sent Filipino teachers to Timor-Leste to teach [[English language|English]], so as to facilitate a program between the two countries, under which deserving  East Timorese nationals with English language skills will be granted university scholarships in the Philippines.<ref name=edulang/>

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries |url=https://humanrightsmeasurement.org/ |access-date=31 March 2022 |website=humanrightsmeasurement.org}}</ref> finds that Timor-Leste is fulfilling only 84.5% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income.<ref name="Timor-Leste - HRMI Rights Tracker">{{Cite web |title=Timor-Leste - HRMI Rights Tracker |url=https://rightstracker.org/ |access-date=31 March 2022 |website=rightstracker.org |language=en}}</ref> HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration Timor-Leste income level, the nation is achieving 90.6% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education but only 78.4% for secondary education.<ref name="Timor-Leste - HRMI Rights Tracker"/>

==References==
{{Commons category|Demographics of East Timor}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite journal |last1=Fernandes |first1=Ajito |last2=Prabawa |first2=Titi Susilowati |last3=Therik |first3=Wilson M. A. |date=April 2022 |title=The Livelihood of Chinese Migrants in Timor-Leste |journal=Social Sciences |language=en |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=157 |doi=10.3390/socsci11040157 |issn=2076-0760 |doi-access=free }}

{{East Timor topics}}
{{Ethnic groups in East Timor}}
{{Asia in topic|Demographics of}}
{{Asia topic|Ethnic groups in}}

[[Category:Demographics of Timor-Leste| ]]
[[Category:Society of Timor-Leste]]

[[de:Osttimor#Bevölkerung]]
[[pt:Timor-Leste#Demografia]]