MigrantoMigration trends in East Timor
Asia
East Timor loses more people than it takes in: 109.6K emigrants against 7.2K immigrants. Net balance −102.5K — 7% of the country's population
1.4M
Population
7.2K
Immigrants
109.6K
Emigrants
−102.5K
Outflow
1 in 196 residents of East Timor was born abroad — and 1 in 14 people born in East Timor lives abroad
#151 in the world by net migration loss
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in East Timor
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
7.9K immigrants · 27.5K emigrants
2000
- An accelerating exodus — the diaspora grew by 436%
- Surge of departures to Indonesia — 150.5K people left
- The outflow deepened — net losses doubled to 179.2K
- The diaspora passed 100K people
2015
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 28%
2020
- An accelerating exodus — the diaspora grew by 49%
Today
- The diaspora passed 100K people
- Since 1990: roughly the same number of foreign-born residents and 82.1K more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Ask Migo
Tap a question — our AI assistant answers it in chat, with real migration data
Where to live?
Score countries, regions and cities by what matters to you
Living in East Timor
See the full country overview