Timor-Leste: Lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

Since 2008 it is up 28.83 percentage points from 55.58% in 2008. The World Bank has no value for 2 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2020, Timor-Leste's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) rose 1.97 percentage points on 2019 (from 82.44% to 84.41%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2019), the average change was +2.29 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 7.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 17.86 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.46 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.52 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 69% of the movement over 8 observed years.

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 2020 ranking

• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 2nd of 5: 61.78%
• Mauritania — 3rd of 5: 50.44%
• Guinea — 4th of 5: 39.1%

What this measures

Lower secondary education completion rate is measured as the gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary education (general and pre-vocational). It is calculated as the number of new entrants in the last grade of lower secondary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of lower secondary education.

Limitations: The data do not account for students who drop out during the final year of Lower secondary education. Therefore, this rate serves as a proxy and should be considered an upper estimate of the actual Lower secondary completion rate. There are many reasons why the primary completion rate can exceed 100 percent. The numerator may include late entrants and overage children who have repeated one or more grades of primary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education.

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

All 11 values

Lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 103.82% (2024)
• Cambodia — 55.72% (2024)
• Fiji — 97.95% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 129.31% (2024)
• Indonesia — 100.44% (2025)
• Kiribati — 94.51% (2024)
• Korea, Rep. — 97.51% (2024)
• Lao PDR — 49.06% (2025)
• Macao SAR, China

More education data for Timor-Leste

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Preprimary education, duration (years) — 3 (2025)
• Compulsory education, duration (years) — 9 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 227,656 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 119.65% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 120.59% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross)

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Questions people ask

What is Timor-Leste's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group)?

84.41% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is up 28.83 percentage points from 55.58% in 2008. The highest value was 84.41% in 2020 and the lowest 55.58% in 2008.

Is the latest change in lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) unusual for Timor-Leste?

In 2020, Timor-Leste's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) rose 1.97 percentage points on 2019 (from 82.44% to 84.41%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2019), the average change was +2.29 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 7.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 SE.SEC.CMPT.LO.MA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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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