Urban population in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Urban population was 28.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Timor-Leste, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Timor-Leste recorded 28.8% for urban population in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Timor-Leste peaked at 29.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 10.1%, in 1960.
Timor-Leste ranks 199th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 10.1% | — |
| 1961 | 10.1% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 10.2% | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 10.3% | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 10.5% | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 10.7% | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 10.9% | +2.2% |
| 1967 | 11.2% | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 11.5% | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 11.8% | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 12.2% | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 12.6% | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 13.0% | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 13.4% | +3.2% |
| 1974 | 13.8% | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 14.3% | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 14.7% | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 15.2% | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 15.7% | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 16.2% | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 16.6% | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 17.1% | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 17.6% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 18.1% | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 18.5% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 19.0% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 19.4% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 19.8% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 20.3% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 20.6% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 21.0% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 21.3% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 21.7% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 22.0% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 22.3% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 22.6% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 22.9% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 23.2% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 23.5% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 23.8% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 24.1% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 24.5% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 24.9% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 25.3% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 25.7% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 26.3% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 27.1% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 28.0% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 28.8% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 29.4% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 29.6% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 29.6% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 29.6% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 29.6% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 29.5% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 29.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 29.4% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 29.4% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 29.2% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 29.1% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 29.0% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 28.8% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 28.6% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 28.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 28.7% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 28.8% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.7% | 10.1% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.1% | 12.2% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.7% | 16.6% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.4% | 21.0% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.4% | 24.1% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.5% | 29.1% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.7% | 28.6% | 29.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
More climate change data for Timor-Leste
- Share co2 vs population 0.0194 (2100)
- Urban population 408,340 (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.7% (2025)
- Population, total 1.42 million (2025)
- Population growth 1.3% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 1.94 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 1.11 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 0.477 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share global cumulative co2 including land 0.0044 (2024)
- Cumulative co2 including land 121.30 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Timor-Leste?
- Urban population in Timor-Leste was 28.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1% in 1960.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for urban population?
- Timor-Leste ranks 199th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Timor-Leste data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.