Photo: Nhobgood Nick Hobgood · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Timor-Leste: Poverty & Inequality
How is a country’s income shared, and how many live below a line?
Timor-Leste is placed 77th of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 28.65 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 11.17 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
77th
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Timor-Leste on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Timor-Leste’s is from 2014 · CC BY 4.0
28.65
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
Timor-Leste: 28.65. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 28.65 Timor-Leste
- Land neighbours
- Indonesia 36.06
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Timor-Leste’s is from 2014 · CC BY 4.0
11.17
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
Timor-Leste: 11.17. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 0.001 Thailand
- Land neighbours
- Indonesia 1.12
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
FAO publishes no 2025 figure for Timor-Leste, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 1.4 Malaysia
- Land neighbours
- Indonesia 68.6
02In context
Timor-Leste beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
Timor-Leste and the countries it borders
Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timor-Leste | 77th | 28.65 | 11.17 | — |
 Indonesia | 114th | 36.06 | 1.12 | 68.6 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across South-eastern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below Timor-Leste in the topic’s list.
03Context, no vote
Where Timor-Leste is ahead of the world, and behind
14 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median2
Statistics on which Timor-Leste does better than the middle country measured.
Intergenerational Persistence in EducationWorld Bank Group · 2017 · world median 0.4460.3220.446No earlier reading
Timor-Leste: 0.322 · world median 0.446 · Correlation between own and parents' years of schooling, born 1980–89 (0–1). World Bank Group, 2017 edition, data for 2017.
Published values in that edition run from 0.123 to 0.66; lower is better.
Position 130th of 153 · derived, 1st = worst.
Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric ConsumptionFAO · 2024 · world median 0.250.220.25▲ Improved since 2014
Timor-Leste: 0.22 · world median 0.25 · Coefficient of variation of habitual calorie consumption across the population (standard deviation ÷ mean). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.17 to 0.4; lower is better.
Behind the world median10
Statistics on which Timor-Leste does worse than the middle country measured.
Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary CompletionUIS · 2024 · world median 0.5290.3630.529No earlier reading
Timor-Leste: 0.363 · world median 0.529 · Adjusted wealth parity index, lower secondary completion (poorest vs richest fifth; 1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.032 to 1.022; higher is better.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0527.7317.05No real change since 2013
Timor-Leste: 27.73 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 51st of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 21.2630.221.26No earlier reading
Timor-Leste: 30.2 · world median 21.26 · Children aged 6-23 months fed from at most 2 of 8 food groups (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.169 to 63.08; lower is better.
Position 33rd of 113 · derived, 1st = worst.
Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour BenefitsWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 18.659.81418.65No earlier reading
Timor-Leste: 9.814 · world median 18.65 · Benefits received as a share of beneficiaries' total income or consumption (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.455 to 90.86; higher is better.
Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2023 · world median 0.4130.5930.413▲ Improved since 2013
Timor-Leste: 0.593 · world median 0.413 · Exclusion by socio-economic group index (0–1; higher = more exclusion). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.014 to 0.969; lower is better.
Position 48th of 174 · derived, 1st = worst.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.4510.609▼ Worsened since 2013
Timor-Leste: 0.451 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 123rd of 169 · derived.
Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 2025 · world median 0.0390.2220.039▼ Worsened since 2018
Timor-Leste: 0.222 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.
Position 27th of 109 · derived, 1st = worst.
Working Poverty RateILO · 2025 · world median 4.88542.934.885▼ Worsened since 2015
Timor-Leste: 42.93 · world median 4.885 · Employed people living in extreme poverty (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.007 to 86.02; lower is better.
Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 4.25251.824.252No earlier reading
Timor-Leste: 51.82 · world median 4.252 · Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.96; lower is better.
Position 20th of 157 · derived, 1st = worst.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.150.462.1▼ Worsened since 2014
Timor-Leste: 50.46 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
No better end2
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.841.821.8No earlier reading
Timor-Leste: 41.8 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingWorld Bank Group · 2019 · world median 6.880.4426.88No earlier reading
Timor-Leste: 0.442 · world median 6.88 · Population in households spending more than 10% of their budget on health out of pocket (%). World Bank Group, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.133 to 31.21.
No current reading for Timor-Leste
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP), Cost of a Healthy Diet, Gini Index (last 2014), Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) (last 2014), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings (last 2021), Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (last 2014), Income Share Held by Richest 10% (last 2014), Low Pay Rate (last 2021), Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person (last 2014), Palma Ratio (last 2014), Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day (last 2014), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day (last 2014), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day (last 2014), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day (last 2014), Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day (last 2014), Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity (last 2021), Prosperity Gap (last 2014), Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet and Societal Poverty Rate (last 2014). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
04Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among Timor-Leste’s 15 topics
Poverty & Inequality is Timor-Leste’s 5th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Peace & Securityjoint 30th of 1774/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability32nd of 1864/4 keys
- Gender & Equality51st of 1833/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Libertiesjoint 73rd of 1984/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality77th of 1592/3 keys
- Work & Labour90th of 1824/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions114th of 1944/4 keys
- Education & Knowledgejoint 123rd of 1984/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade111th of 1772/4 keys
- Development & Human Capitaljoint 147th of 1963/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience146th of 1933/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing177th of 2003/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture164th of 1843/4 keys
- Digital & Technology182nd of 1984/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation167th of 1762/4 keys
No standing on Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
05The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders Timor-Leste can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
United Arab Emirates=3rd3/3 keysHighest in South-eastern Asia
Thailand27th2/3 keysThis page
Timor-Leste77th2/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
06Questions
Timor-Leste on poverty & inequality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Timor-Leste rank on poverty & inequality?
Timor-Leste is placed 77th of 159 countries on Poverty & Inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics (Gini Index and Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Gini Index figure for Timor-Leste?
28.65 in 2023 (gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 33.72.
What is the latest Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day figure for Timor-Leste?
11.17 in 2023 (poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.345.
How does Timor-Leste compare with Indonesia on poverty & inequality?
Indonesia is placed 114th of 159, and Timor-Leste 77th. Gini Index: Indonesia 36.06, Timor-Leste 28.65; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day: Indonesia 1.12, Timor-Leste 11.17.
Which poverty & inequality statistics are missing for Timor-Leste?
No current reading is published for Timor-Leste on Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP), Cost of a Healthy Diet, Gini Index, Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings, Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Income Share Held by Richest 10%, Low Pay Rate, Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person, Palma Ratio, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day, Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day, Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prosperity Gap, Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet and Societal Poverty Rate. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
07Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
These figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than every year. So the subject's standing is read from each country's most recent survey of the last decade, with the year of every reading shown, rather than from one year in which only a minority of countries were surveyed. Two readings decide it — how unequally income is shared and how deep extreme poverty runs — because the other poverty and inequality measures here largely repeat one of those two or repeat average income, which already counts under Economy and Development. Countries with no survey in the last decade have no standing here. What work pays is under Work & Labour; wealth, as opposed to income, has no global source this site is permitted to republish.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 14 statistics on this page come from 8 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Timor-Leste’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Timor-Leste (banner) — Nhobgood Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Timor-Leste: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/timor-leste/poverty