“The Ministry of Finance and the National Institute of Statistics of Timor-Leste, IP (INETL, IP) presented, on October 20, 2026, the Summary Report on Poverty of the Survey on Living Conditions in Timor-Leste 2024 (TLSLS 2024), which reveals a reduction in poverty in the last decade, accompanied by improvements in access to electricity, clean water, sanitation, housing and education.
According to the report, based on estimates that allow for a consistent comparison between the two periods, the poverty rate decreased from 48.4% in 2014 to 37% in 2024, a reduction of 11.4 percentage points.
The improvement of living conditions is also visible in other indicators. Between 2014 and 2024, the proportion of the population without access to electricity decreased from 27.9% to 1.7% and the population without access to safe drinking water went from 25.4% to 9.1%. The unaccessed proportion to improved sanitation decreased from 39.6% to 24.4%, while the population living in adequate housing increased from 22.4% to 42.6%. The report also shows progress in education indicators, with a reduction in illiteracy and the proportion of families with primary school children who do not attend school.”
