Timor-Leste: Borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Timor-Leste's borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults) fell 0.44 on 2022 (from 51.84 to 51.4).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2022), the average change was +1.21 and a typical year strayed about 5.26 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 16.76 in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.77 in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.76 a year. A straight line explains 85% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 55.57 for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1.22, against 4.15 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Timor-Leste in the 2023 ranking

• United Arab Emirates — 1st of 3: 628.86
• Mauritania — 2nd of 3: 98.95

What this measures

Borrowers from commercial banks are the reported number of resident customers that are nonfinancial corporations (public and private) and households who obtained loans from commercial banks and other banks functioning as commercial banks.

Limitations: For many countries data cover the total number of loan accounts due to lack of information on loan account holders. For several countries, data cover all borrowers including commercial banks, credit unions and financial cooperatives, deposit taking microfinance institutions, and other deposit takers. These include all resident financial corporations and quasi-corporations (except the central bank) that are mainly engaged in financial intermediation and that issue liabilities included in the national definition of broad money.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 20 values

Borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 352.34 (2021)
• China — 662.06 (2024)
• Indonesia — 358.68 (2024)
• Lao PDR — 21.07 (2024)
• Malaysia — 305.09 (2024)
• Myanmar — 13.49 (2020)
• Samoa — 151.97 (2024)
• Singapore — 1,074 (2020)
• Solomon Islands — 40.11 (2024)
• Thailand

More financial sector data for Timor-Leste

• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$1 (2025)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 110.47 (2025)
• GDP deflator, linked series (base year varies by country) — 110.47 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$1 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — -4.69% (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator, linked series (annual % growth) — -4.69% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 39.03% (2025)
• Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) — 9.54% (2025)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Timor-Leste's borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults)?

51.4 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2004?

It is up 70.88% from 30.08 in 2004 (2.86% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 51.84 in 2022 and the lowest 12.42 in 2009.

Is the latest change in borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults) unusual for Timor-Leste?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FB.CBK.BRWR.P3, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Financial Access Survey, International Monetary Fund (IMF), uri: https://data.imf.org/en/datasets/IMF.STA:FAS Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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