Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) in East Timor
East Timor: Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) was 67.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
67.2%
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
32nd
of 214 countries
All-time high
87.1%
in 1970
All-time low
67.2%
in 2024
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Rural population in East Timor, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2024, rural population in East Timor stood at 67.2%. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in East Timor peaked at 87.1% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 67.2%, in 2024.
That places East Timor 32nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) in East Timor, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 87.1% | — |
| 1971 | 86.8% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 86.5% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 86.1% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 85.8% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 85.4% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 85.0% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 84.7% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 84.3% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 83.9% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 83.5% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 83.1% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 82.7% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 82.3% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 81.9% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 81.4% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 81.0% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 80.5% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 80.1% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 79.6% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 79.2% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 78.8% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 78.5% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 78.1% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 77.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 77.5% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 77.1% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 76.8% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 76.4% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 76.1% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 75.7% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 75.4% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 75.0% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 74.7% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 74.3% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 74.0% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 73.6% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 73.3% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 73.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 72.6% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 72.3% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 71.9% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 71.6% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 71.2% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 70.9% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 70.5% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 70.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 69.8% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 69.4% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 69.1% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 68.7% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 68.3% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 67.9% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 67.5% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 67.2% | -0.6% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 67.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 53.1%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 67.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 34.5%, 1.9× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85.6% | 83.9% | 87.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 81.6% | 79.6% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.6% | 76.1% | 79.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.2% | 72.6% | 75.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.7% | 69.1% | 72.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.9% | 67.2% | 68.7% | 5 |
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 rural population in East Timor?
- Rural population in East Timor was 67.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 87.1% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.2% in 2024.
- How does East Timor rank for rural population?
- East Timor ranks 32nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release