Timor-Leste — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Timor-Leste, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Timor-Leste was 1.59% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 4.66% in 2016. The lowest was 1.52% in 2024 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.25% per year.
Timor-Leste ranks 174 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 93%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Timor-Leste sits below it. It peaked in 2016 and has fallen 66% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 57%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 24 of 29 economies; Viet Nam (1.52%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 34% in 2022. That is 43% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 124th of 187 in 1991 → 147th of 187 in 2000 → 157th of 187 in 2010 → 166th of 187 in 2020 → 169th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.59% | +0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 1.52% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 1.53% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 1.54% | -0.8 pp |
| 2021 | 2.34% | -0.5 pp |
| 2020 | 2.81% | -0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 3.15% | -0.6 pp |
| 2018 | 3.77% | -0.5 pp |
| 2017 | 4.25% | -0.4 pp |
| 2016 | 4.66% | +1.0 pp |
| 2015 | 3.68% | +0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 3.62% | +0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 3.57% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 3.47% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 3.39% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 3.3% | +0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 3.29% | -0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 3.43% | -0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 3.52% | -0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 3.63% | +0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 3.61% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 3.67% | +0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 3.54% | +0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 3.37% | -0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 3.39% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 3.53% | -0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 3.63% | +0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 3.5% | +0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 3.41% | +0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 3.37% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 3.35% | +0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 3.31% | +0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 3.27% | -0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 3.36% | -0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 3.45% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Timor-Leste’s Unemployment in 1992?
3.36% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Timor-Leste’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -53.9% in total — about 2.3% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 1.59%; 2024: 1.52%; 2023: 1.53%; 2022: 1.54%; 2021: 2.34%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.