Country profile

Timor-Leste

East Asia & PacificLower middle income1.40M inhabitants

Last updated December 1, 2025

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Fragile/Conflict-Affected Country: This country is classified as experiencing institutional and social fragility. Data may not reflect the current situation due to instability.

Composite GEFRI Score

Severely underprepared

Timor-Leste is severely underprepared (40th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

44.20Composite score
Global percentile
40th
Global rank
#107
Regional rank
#17
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
48.94
29th percentileGlobal avg. 56.53
Human Capital
41.60
30th percentileGlobal avg. 47.25
Innovation
45.31
60th percentileGlobal avg. 43.36
Governance
45.14
50th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71
Access & Parity
40.00
44th percentileGlobal avg. 49.41

Country profile

Timor-Leste performs close to the global average across all GEFRI dimensions. Progress is evident, yet stronger ambition is needed to reach futures readiness among global peers.

Dimension scores cluster tightly, showing the system operates with balanced readiness. Low internet adoption slows digital participation and constrains system-wide modernization. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Infrastructure, Governance, and Human Capital present a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Note: Several indicators use imputed values. Policymakers and planners should validate results further before committing to major initiatives.

Key insights

  • Falls below many peers at the 40th percentile.
  • Places 107th worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 17th within East Asia & Pacific.
  • Scores range from Infrastructure (48.9) to Access & Parity (40.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific

Composite GEFRI score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
21Korea, Rep.79.60
32Singapore78.63
53Hong Kong SAR, China77.86
114Japan76.54
145Australia76.14
196New Zealand73.28
——Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate61.56
487Brunei Darussalam61.48
498Thailand61.30
——New CaledoniaMicrostate61.09
529Indonesia60.44
——NauruMicrostate59.95
——GuamMicrostate59.92
——PalauMicrostate59.64
——American SamoaMicrostate59.42
——French PolynesiaMicrostate59.20
5910Macao SAR, China58.71
6311Viet Nam57.39
6912Fiji56.40
7013Mongolia56.30
7114Malaysia56.21
7315China55.14
8216Philippines52.74
——TuvaluFCSMicrostate51.67
——SamoaMicrostate50.98
——TongaMicrostate49.06
——KiribatiFCSMicrostate46.78
——Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate46.17
10717Timor-LesteFCS44.20
——Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate42.51
11218Vanuatu41.00
12219Korea, Dem. People's Rep.36.64
12620Cambodia35.43
12921MyanmarFCS33.80
13422Solomon IslandsFCS32.22
13823Lao PDR31.38
14524Papua New GuineaFCS28.17