Timor-Leste population pyramid 2026
1,436,923 people in 2026 (projected). Timor-Leste’s pyramid carries a notch from the occupation and famine years of the late 1970s, and a post-independence birth bulge now in its early twenties.
- 2026 population
- 1.4Mrank 156 of 237
- Median age
- 22.1 yearsoldest rank 183
- Fertility rate
- 2.50births per woman · above replacement
- Structure
- Youthful5.2% age 65+
Timor-Leste population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Timor-Leste age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 32.6% of the population, while 5.2% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 62.2% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Timor-Leste’s age structure as youthful; the guide to expansive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 60.8: about 61 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (52.4 children and 8.3 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Timor-Leste’s population pyramid
The late 1970s
Timor-Leste’s history since 1975 is written across the middle of its pyramid. Indonesia invaded at the end of 1975, and the conflict, forced displacement and famine of the following years caused very heavy loss of life; the UN series records more deaths than births in 1975. The children born in that period, about 1977–81, are now a notch at ages 45–49 in 2026, roughly 21% smaller than the average of the bands either side and even narrower than the older 50–54 band above it. The sex ratio around this point is also irregular, with about 109 men per 100 women at 50–54, though bands of only some 25,000 people per sex can shift noticeably with small changes in the estimates.
Independence and a birth boom
Unusually, fertility rose in the late twentieth century, from about 5.2 children per woman in 1980 to about 5.9 in 2000, among the highest levels in Asia. The violence surrounding the 1999 independence vote displaced much of the population, and the return of refugees is part of the background to a net inflow of about 105,000 people between 2000 and 2023. Independence in 2002 was followed by large birth cohorts: the 20–24 band, born about 2002–06, stands out as a bulge 8–9% larger than its neighbours.
Since then fertility has fallen remarkably fast, from about 4.8 in 2010 to 2.7 in 2023. The base has therefore stopped widening, and in 2026 the bands from 5–9 to 20–24 are within about 7% of one another in size, with 0–4 already about a tenth narrower than 5–9. The current shape is closest to Iraq, Eswatini and Guatemala.
Survival gains and the road ahead
Mortality has improved dramatically. Life expectancy at birth was about 29 years in 1950 and is now close to 68, while infant mortality has fallen from about 270 per 1,000 births to about 38 in 2023. Births still outnumber deaths by three to one, and under the medium scenario the population grows from about 1.4 million to 1.9 million in 2050, peaking near 2.1 million around 2076. The large post-independence cohorts entering working age push the share aged 15–64 towards 70% by 2050, part of the shift from an expansive to a more column-like shape described in the guide to types of population pyramids.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45–49 | 1977–1981 | Notch (smaller cohort) | −21% |
| 50–54 | 1972–1976 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +11% |
Births outnumber deaths in 2026 (deaths were higher in 1975); the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2078. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2080.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Timor-Leste is projected to record 30,774 births (about 84 births a day) and 10,203 deaths, a natural increase of 20,571. Net migration adds −1,695 people, ranking #156 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 784,538 births, 212,416 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +105,442. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −10,537 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 70.1 years30.6 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 66.7 years27.8 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 13.6 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 33.9per 1,000 births · 273 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 42.2per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 29.2 yearssex ratio at birth 107.1
Women in Timor-Leste are projected to live 3.4 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 273 to 33.9 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #31 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 29.2 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Timor-Leste
The median age of 22.1 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 2.50 births per woman is above the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 68.3 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,436,923 | #156 | Largest first |
| Median age | 22.1 years | #183 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 2.50 | #78 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +1.3% | #78 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 68.3 years | #188 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 5.2% | #166 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Timor-Leste
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5–9 | 164,059 | 11.4% | 83.2K / 80.9K |
| 2 | 10–14 | 157,675 | 11.0% | 80.1K / 77.6K |
| 3 | 20–24 | 153,675 | 10.7% | 77.7K / 76K |
| 4 | 15–19 | 152,934 | 10.6% | 77.4K / 75.5K |
| 5 | 0–4 | 146,786 | 10.2% | 75.5K / 71.2K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Timor-Leste has 724,639 males and 712,284 females. That is 101.7 males per 100 females, ranking #50 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 50.4% of the population and females for 49.6%. There are 12,355 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 86.1 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 107.1 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Timor-Leste has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 414,762 in 1950 to 1,436,923 in 2026, a change of 246%. Over the same span, median age moved from 17.1 to 22.1 years.
The under-15 share changed from 43.8% to 32.6%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.1% to 5.2%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Timor-Leste’s population is projected to grow by about 31%, reaching 1,889,249 in 2050. The median age changes from 22.1 to 31.2 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 1.8 percentage points to 7.0%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 23.1%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 2,092,348 in 2076. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 414,762 | 17.1 | 6.61 | 29.2 | 17,833 | 14,776 | 0 | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 468,118 | 18.2 | 6.32 | 32.4 | 21,178 | 14,166 | 0 | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 553,069 | 19.5 | 5.66 | 37.4 | 23,678 | 13,854 | 0 | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 649,872 | 20.0 | 5.22 | 30.2 | 28,147 | 21,206 | +5,457 | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 760,344 | 18.0 | 5.81 | 45.2 | 32,499 | 14,157 | −2,881 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 745,088 | 17.5 | 5.93 | 58.1 | 28,792 | 7,212 | +40,272 | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 1,084,679 | 17.8 | 4.82 | 63.7 | 34,155 | 8,639 | +470 | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 1,326,053 | 20.1 | 3.01 | 66.9 | 30,966 | 9,799 | +3,793 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 1,384,286 | 21.0 | 2.71 | 67.7 | 30,561 | 10,065 | −5,620 | +1.1% |
| 2024* | 1,400,638 | 21.3 | 2.63 | 67.9 | 30,489 | 10,111 | −2,552 | +1.3% |
| 2026* | 1,436,923 | 22.1 | 2.50 | 68.3 | 30,774 | 10,203 | −1,695 | +1.3% |
| 2030* | 1,519,804 | 23.7 | 2.32 | 69.1 | 31,410 | 10,395 | +916 | +1.4% |
| 2040* | 1,718,249 | 27.3 | 2.05 | 70.8 | 30,793 | 11,116 | −1,494 | +1.1% |
| 2050* | 1,889,249 | 31.2 | 1.92 | 72.4 | 27,747 | 13,079 | +2,033 | +0.9% |
| 2060* | 2,009,637 | 34.7 | 1.84 | 73.8 | 26,197 | 15,959 | −2,657 | +0.4% |
| 2070* | 2,077,649 | 37.6 | 1.80 | 75.1 | 24,718 | 19,790 | −2,475 | +0.1% |
| 2080* | 2,088,569 | 40.2 | 1.76 | 76.4 | 22,350 | 23,698 | −1,558 | -0.1% |
| 2090* | 2,036,930 | 42.5 | 1.73 | 77.8 | 20,485 | 26,208 | −524 | -0.3% |
| 2100* | 1,972,924 | 43.6 | 1.72 | 79.0 | 19,327 | 26,693 | +2,675 | -0.2% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 75,549 | 71,237 | 146,786 | 10.2% |
| 5–9 | 83,159 | 80,900 | 164,059 | 11.4% |
| 10–14 | 80,110 | 77,565 | 157,675 | 11.0% |
| 15–19 | 77,412 | 75,522 | 152,934 | 10.6% |
| 20–24 | 77,697 | 75,978 | 153,675 | 10.7% |
| 25–29 | 65,451 | 64,778 | 130,229 | 9.1% |
| 30–34 | 53,056 | 53,595 | 106,651 | 7.4% |
| 35–39 | 45,648 | 46,113 | 91,761 | 6.4% |
| 40–44 | 38,178 | 37,749 | 75,927 | 5.3% |
| 45–49 | 25,720 | 25,233 | 50,953 | 3.5% |
| 50–54 | 27,872 | 25,531 | 53,403 | 3.7% |
| 55–59 | 23,515 | 21,686 | 45,201 | 3.1% |
| 60–64 | 16,784 | 16,335 | 33,119 | 2.3% |
| 65–69 | 12,230 | 12,666 | 24,896 | 1.7% |
| 70–74 | 8,697 | 9,508 | 18,205 | 1.3% |
| 75–79 | 7,792 | 10,311 | 18,103 | 1.3% |
| 80–84 | 4,231 | 5,488 | 9,719 | 0.7% |
| 85–89 | 1,306 | 1,730 | 3,036 | 0.2% |
| 90–94 | 213 | 322 | 535 | 0.0% |
| 95–99 | 20 | 36 | 56 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Timor-Leste’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Iraq96% overlap · median age 21.1
- Eswatini96% overlap · median age 22.7
- Guatemala96% overlap · median age 23.8
- Pakistan96% overlap · median age 20.8
- Ghana95% overlap · median age 21.6
- Kenya95% overlap · median age 20.3
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Timor-Leste.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Timor-Leste Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/timor-leste/
MLA
“Timor-Leste Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/timor-leste/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Timor-Leste Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/timor-leste/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Timor-Leste in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Timor-Leste's population in 2026 is projected at 1,436,923.
What is the median age in Timor-Leste?
The projected median age in Timor-Leste in 2026 is 22.1 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Timor-Leste?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 2.50 births per woman, above the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Timor-Leste's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 31%, from 1.4M to 1.9M.
What share of Timor-Leste is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 5.2% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 7.0%.
How many babies are born in Timor-Leste each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 30,774 births and 10,203 deaths in 2026, about 84 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 20,571.
What is life expectancy in Timor-Leste for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 70.1 years for women and 66.7 years for men, a gap of 3.4 years in favour of women.
Does Timor-Leste have more immigrants or emigrants?
Timor-Leste is projected to lose about 1,695 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +105,442.
What is the sex ratio in Timor-Leste?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 101.7 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.