Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in East Timor
East Timor: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in East Timor, 2004–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in East Timor is 0.2%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in East Timor peaked at 0.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2008.
East Timor ranks 137th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in East Timor, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 0.1% | — |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +29.9% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | +47.6% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -10.8% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 0.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 69% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 0.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5%, 31% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in East Timor changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +47.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2009 | +29.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
- 134 Tajikistan 0.2% compare
- 135 Gambia 0.2% compare
- 136 Luxembourg 0.2% compare
- 138 South Africa 0.1% compare
- 139 Sweden 0.1% compare
- 140 Philippines 0.1% compare
More reference data data for East Timor
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1569 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure left on 112.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure Management 75.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 41.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 249.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0888 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.6476 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.9426 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in East Timor?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in East Timor was 0.2% in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2008.
- How does East Timor rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- East Timor ranks 137th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.