Democracy Index in East Timor
East Timor: Democracy Index was 8 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Democracy Index in East Timor, 2002–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
East Timor recorded 8 for democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in East Timor peaked at 8 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6, in 2002.
East Timor ranks 52nd of 168 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Democracy Index in East Timor, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 6 | — |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2013 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 | +0.0% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 8 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 1.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 8 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.5, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 2010s | 7.78 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
- 52 Belgium 8 compare
- 52 Botswana 8 compare
- 52 Brazil 8 compare
- 52 El Salvador 8 compare
- 52 Ghana 8 compare
- 52 Guatemala 8 compare
- 52 Kyrgyzstan 8 compare
- 52 Latvia 8 compare
- 52 Lesotho 8 compare
- 52 Mexico 8 compare
- 52 Myanmar 8 compare
- 52 Philippines 8 compare
- 52 Serbia 8 compare
- 52 Solomon Islands 8 compare
- 52 South Korea 8 compare
- 52 United Kingdom 8 compare
More social development data for East Timor
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2015)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 15 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 15 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2015)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in East Timor?
- Democracy index in East Timor was 8 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 8 in 2012.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 2002.
- How does East Timor rank for democracy index?
- East Timor ranks 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).