Timor-Leste

Interesting Facts About Timor-Leste

• Timor-Leste has the third largest male 'youth bulge' in the world, with almost 45% of the male population over 14 being between the ages of 15 and 24.
• The population is remarkably young, with a median age under 20 years old.
• Life expectancy in Timor-Leste rose dramatically from 48.5 years in 1990 to 69.5 years in 2019.
• The fertility rate at independence was the highest in the world at 7.8, but dropped to 4.2 by 2016.
• Timorese communities are defined more by familial relations and descent linked to sacred house affiliation than by ethnic background or linguistic group alone.
• Timor-Leste has diverse minority communities including a small mestiço population of mixed Portuguese and local descent, a Chinese minority (predominantly Hakka), and a community of Timorese Indian of Goan descent.

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