Share of urban population who live in the largest city in East Timor
East Timor: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 50.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in East Timor, 1965–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in East Timor stood at 50.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in East Timor peaked at 73.2% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 49.2%, in 2010.
That places East Timor 25th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in East Timor, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 73.2% | — |
| 1970 | 69.2% | -5.5% |
| 1975 | 66.5% | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 60.6% | -8.9% |
| 1985 | 59.5% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 52.9% | -11.1% |
| 1995 | 50.7% | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 56.2% | +10.8% |
| 2005 | 49.7% | -11.5% |
| 2010 | 49.2% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 50.8% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 50.7% | -0.1% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 50.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.9%, 2.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 50.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28.2%, 1.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 73.2% | 73.2% | 73.2% | 1 |
| 1970s | 67.8% | 66.5% | 69.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 60.0% | 59.5% | 60.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 51.8% | 50.7% | 52.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 53.0% | 49.7% | 56.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 50.0% | 49.2% | 50.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 50.7% | 50.7% | 50.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
- 22 United Arab Emirates 51.9% compare
- 23 French Polynesia 51.8% compare
- 24 Latvia 50.8% compare
- 26 Equatorial Guinea 50.4% compare
- 27 Mauritania 50.2% compare
- 28 Estonia 49.9% compare
More population data for East Timor
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5654 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.2427 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 97,537 people (2100)
- Population density 132.68 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3779 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.7121 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in East Timor?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in East Timor was 50.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 73.2% in 1965.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.2% in 2010.
- How does East Timor rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- East Timor ranks 25th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.