Average years of schooling among adults in East Timor
East Timor: Average years of schooling among adults was 6.23 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in East Timor, 2000–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
East Timor recorded 6.23 years for average years of schooling among adults in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in East Timor peaked at 6.23 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.77 years, in 2000.
That places East Timor 149th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Average years of schooling among adults in East Timor, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.77 years | — |
| 2001 | 3.91 years | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 4.05 years | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 4.19 years | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 4.34 years | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 4.49 years | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 4.65 years | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 4.82 years | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 4.99 years | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 5.17 years | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 5.35 years | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 5.34 years | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 5.32 years | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 5.31 years | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 5.29 years | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 5.28 years | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 5.26 years | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 5.44 years | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 5.63 years | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 5.82 years | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 6.02 years | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 6.23 years | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 6.23 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6.23 years | +0.0% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 6.23 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.79 years, 92% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 6.23 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.43 years, 66% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.44 years | 3.77 years | 5.17 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.4 years | 5.26 years | 5.82 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.17 years | 6.02 years | 6.23 years | 4 |
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 average years of schooling among adults in East Timor?
- Average years of schooling among adults in East Timor was 6.23 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 6.23 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.77 years in 2000.
- How does East Timor rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- East Timor ranks 149th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.