Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 4.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Timor-Leste, 2008–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
In 2025, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Timor-Leste stood at 4.3%. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 31.0% on the previous year and down 49.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Timor-Leste peaked at 10.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2025.
That places Timor-Leste 194th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 7.1% | — |
| 2009 | 10.6% | +49.3% |
| 2010 | 9.2% | -13.5% |
| 2011 | 7.7% | -16.4% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | -27.6% |
| 2013 | 5.9% | +6.4% |
| 2014 | 6.8% | +14.9% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | +27.5% |
| 2016 | 7.2% | -16.1% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | +13.4% |
| 2018 | 8.0% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 6.9% | -14.2% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 7.5% | +7.4% |
| 2024 | 6.3% | -16.0% |
| 2025 | 4.3% | -31.0% |
Timor-Leste compared with similar countries
- Timor-Leste's 4.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.3%, 30% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Timor-Leste's 4.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.3%, 35% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.8% | 7.1% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 5.5% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.3% | 4.3% | 7.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
- 191 Montserrat 5.7% compare
- 192 Niue 5.6% compare
- 193 Eritrea 5.4%
- 195 Papua New Guinea 3.5% compare
- 196 Nigeria 3.0% compare
- 197 South Sudan 0.0% compare
More education data for Timor-Leste
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,182 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 140 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 13,267 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13,390 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 162,113 (2020)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 227,656 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1645 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Timor-Leste?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Timor-Leste was 4.3% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 10.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2025.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Timor-Leste ranks 194th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Timor-Leste data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release