Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in East Timor
East Timor: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 67.69 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in East Timor, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
East Timor recorded 67.69 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in East Timor peaked at 67.69 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 22.93 years, in 1978.
East Timor ranks 165th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in East Timor, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 37.36 years | — |
| 1971 | 37.91 years | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 38.44 years | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 38.97 years | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 36.45 years | -6.4% |
| 1975 | 24.31 years | -33.3% |
| 1976 | 25.86 years | +6.4% |
| 1977 | 24.88 years | -3.8% |
| 1978 | 22.93 years | -7.8% |
| 1979 | 24.17 years | +5.4% |
| 1980 | 30.2 years | +24.9% |
| 1981 | 31.25 years | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 32.25 years | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 32.69 years | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 34.47 years | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 34.34 years | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 34.76 years | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 35.97 years | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 36.05 years | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 44.8 years | +24.3% |
| 1990 | 45.19 years | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 45.08 years | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 46.19 years | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 47.01 years | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 47.86 years | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 47.54 years | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 48.26 years | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 48.97 years | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 48.58 years | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 45.25 years | -6.9% |
| 2000 | 58.1 years | +28.4% |
| 2001 | 58.77 years | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 59.48 years | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 60.13 years | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 60.74 years | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 61.27 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 61.88 years | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 62.4 years | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 62.86 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 63.27 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 63.66 years | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 64.02 years | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 64.38 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 64.72 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 65.03 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 65.33 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 65.61 years | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 65.9 years | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 66.2 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 66.5 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 66.92 years | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 66.2 years | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 67.37 years | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 67.69 years | +0.5% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 67.69 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 67.69 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 93% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | -33.3% | 36.45 years | 24.31 years |
| 2000 | +28.4% | 45.25 years | 58.1 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 31.13 years | 22.93 years | 38.97 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.68 years | 30.2 years | 44.8 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.99 years | 45.08 years | 48.97 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.89 years | 58.1 years | 63.27 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.13 years | 63.66 years | 66.5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.04 years | 66.2 years | 67.69 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More population data for East Timor
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.2427 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.2427 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5654 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3779 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.238 (2100)
- Population density 132.68 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 97,537 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.238 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 0.4267 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in East Timor?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in East Timor was 67.69 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 67.69 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.93 years in 1978.
- How does East Timor rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- East Timor ranks 165th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release