Timor-Leste: Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Timor-Leste's fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) fell 0.00822 on 2023 (from 0.13 to 0.12).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2004 to 2023), the average change was −0.0043 and a typical year strayed about 0.02 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 0.04 in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.08 in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.01 a year. A straight line explains 96% 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.

How it compares

In 2024, Timor-Leste had the 136th highest value of the 146 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Timor-Leste in the 2024 ranking

• Angola — 132nd of 146: 0.21
• Cambodia — 133rd of 146: 0.16
• Bangladesh — 134th of 146: 0.16
• Tanzania — 136th of 146: 0.11
• Kenya — 137th of 146: 0.1
• Mozambique — 138th of 146: 0.08

What this measures

Fixed telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.

Limitations: Operators have traditionally been the main source of telecommunications data, so information on subscriptions has been widely available for most countries. This gives a general idea of access, but a more precise measure is the penetration rate - the share of households with access to telecommunications. During the past few years more information on information and communication technology use has become available from household and business surveys. Also important are data on actual use of telecommunications services. Ideally, statistics on telecommunications (and other information and communications technologies) should be compiled for all three measures: subscriptions, access, and use.

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

All 22 values

Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 20.05 (2022)
• Australia — 22.28 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 27.72 (2024)
• Cambodia — 0.16 (2024)
• China — 11.73 (2024)
• Fiji — 8.37 (2024)
• French Polynesia — 23.47 (2023)
• Guam — 43.17 (2022)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 44.57 (2024)
• Indonesia

More infrastructure data for Timor-Leste

• Scientific and technical journal articles — 20.7 (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 1.63 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 116.38 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 1,691 (2024)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions — 84 (2024)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) — 0.006 (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$6.5 million (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 4.43% (2025)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 35.04% (2021)

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 fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people)?

0.12 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2003?

It is down 43.81% from 0.21 in 2003 (2.71% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.3 in 2014 and the lowest 0.12 in 2024.

How does Timor-Leste rank?

136th highest of 146 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) unusual for Timor-Leste?

In 2024, Timor-Leste's fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) fell 0.00822 on 2023 (from 0.13 to 0.12). Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2004 to 2023), the average change was −0.0043 and a typical year strayed about 0.02 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IT.MLT.MAIN.P2, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.