Share of children who have completed primary school in East Timor
East Timor: Share of children who have completed primary school was 82.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in East Timor, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of children who have completed primary school in East Timor stood at 82.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in East Timor peaked at 82.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 24.3%, in 1981.
East Timor ranks 123rd of 165 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of children who have completed primary school in East Timor, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 24.3% | — |
| 1982 | 25.4% | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 26.6% | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 27.7% | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 29.0% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 30.3% | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 31.6% | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 32.9% | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 34.2% | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 35.5% | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 36.6% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 37.7% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 38.8% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 39.8% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 41.0% | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 42.3% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 43.7% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 45.2% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 46.8% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 48.4% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 50.1% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 51.7% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 53.3% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 54.8% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 56.2% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 57.6% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 59.0% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 60.5% | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 62.2% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 63.9% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 65.6% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 67.2% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 68.6% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 70.0% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 71.2% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 72.4% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 73.6% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 74.7% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 75.8% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 76.9% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 78.0% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 79.1% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 80.1% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 81.1% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 82.1% | +1.2% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 82.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 95% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 82.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 98.6%, 83% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 29.1% | 24.3% | 34.2% | 9 |
| 1990s | 40.7% | 35.5% | 46.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.4% | 48.4% | 62.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.3% | 63.9% | 75.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.6% | 76.9% | 82.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More education data for East Timor
- 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 share of children who have completed primary school in East Timor?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in East Timor was 82.1% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.3% in 1981.
- How does East Timor rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- East Timor ranks 123rd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.