Timor-Leste: Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Timor-Leste's foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) rose US$72.5 million on 2023 (from −US$68 million to US$4.5 million).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2023), the average change was −US$7.39 million and a typical year strayed about US$36.93 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$72.5 million in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was US$85 million in 2023. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 19% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Timor-Leste in the 2024 ranking

• Dominica — 2nd of 2: −US$401,184

What this measures

Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in an economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. Direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. This series shows net outflows of investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Limitations: FDI data do not give a complete picture of international investment in an economy. Balance of payments data on FDI do not include capital raised locally, an important source of investment financing in some developing countries. In addition, FDI data omit nonequity cross-border transactions such as intra-unit flows of goods and services. The volume of global private financial flows reported by the World Bank generally differs from that reported by other sources because of differences in sources, classification of economies, and method used to adjust and disaggregate reported information.

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

All 14 values

Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Australia — −US$6.75 billion (2025)
• Cambodia — US$138.51 million (2025)
• China — US$157.21 billion (2025)
• Fiji — US$43.06 million (2025)
• French Polynesia — US$12.11 million (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$99.85 billion (2025)
• Indonesia — US$8.15 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$217.76 billion (2025)
• Kiribati — US$16,114 (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Timor-Leste

• Short-term debt (% of total external debt) — 0.43% (2024)
• IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, current US$) — −US$750,000 (2024)
• Adjusted savings, education expenditure (% of GNI) — 3.19% (2021)
• Adjusted savings, mineral depletion (current US$) — US$0 (2021)
• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$221.69 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (current US$) — US$259.94 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (constant 2023 US$) — US$259.94 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (current US$) — US$259.94 million (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Timor-Leste's foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$)?

US$4.5 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2010?

It is down 82.69% from US$26 million in 2010 (11.78% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$26 million in 2010 and the lowest −US$68 million in 2023.

Is the latest change in foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) unusual for Timor-Leste?

In 2024, Timor-Leste's foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) rose US$72.5 million on 2023 (from −US$68 million to US$4.5 million). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2023), the average change was −US$7.39 million and a typical year strayed about US$36.93 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.KLT.DINV.CD.WD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and official national sources.; UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Official… 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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