Timor-Leste: Gross national expenditure (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Timor-Leste's gross national expenditure (% of GDP) rose 30.86 percentage points on 2023 (from 143.46% to 174.31%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was −4.82 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 26.51 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 57.06 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 56.22 percentage points in 2003. 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 8% of the movement over 10 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

In 2024, Timor-Leste had the 3rd highest value of the 37 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

• Kiribati — 1st of 37: 192.74%
• Palau — 3rd of 37: 147.9%
• Tonga — 4th of 37: 146.14%
• Marshall Islands — 5th of 37: 145.13%

What this measures

Gross national expenditure is the sum of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, and gross capital formation. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

All 25 values

Gross national expenditure (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Australia — 99.46% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 80.25% (2025)
• Cambodia — 95.43% (2025)
• China — 97.16% (2024)
• Fiji — 110.15% (2024)
• French Polynesia — 127.62% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 97.13% (2025)
• Indonesia — 93.38% (2025)
• Japan — 100.89% (2024)
• Kiribati — 192.74% (2024)
• Korea, Rep.

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 gross national expenditure (% of GDP)?

174.31% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 80.1 percentage points from 254.41% in 2000. The highest value was 264.79% in 2002 and the lowest 72.83% in 2021.

How does Timor-Leste rank?

3rd highest of 37 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in gross national expenditure (% of GDP) unusual for Timor-Leste?

In 2024, Timor-Leste's gross national expenditure (% of GDP) rose 30.86 percentage points on 2023 (from 143.46% to 174.31%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was −4.82 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 26.51 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.DAB.TOTL.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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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