Urban population (% of total population) in East Timor
East Timor: Urban population (% of total population) was 28.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in East Timor, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
East Timor 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 East Timor peaked at 29.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 10.1%, in 1960.
East Timor ranks 200th of 218 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 (% of total population) in East Timor, 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% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 28.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 57% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 28.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 65.4%, 44% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
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 East Timor
More climate change data for East Timor
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 934.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 229.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 704.97 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.8677 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 25.18 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 259.51 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 20.09 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 239.42 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0758 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 8.55 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in East Timor?
- Urban population in East Timor was 28.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1% in 1960.
- How does East Timor rank for urban population?
- East Timor ranks 200th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Timor 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
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.