Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of Bosnia and Herzegovina, you would:

Health

be 82.8% less likely to be obese

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 21.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 60.3% less likely to die by suicide

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a suicide rate of 9.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 10.1 years less

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 76.8% less spent on your healthcare

Bosnia and Herzegovina spends $1,989 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Timor-Leste spends $461 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 70.9% fewer doctors per person

Bosnia and Herzegovina has 25.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Timor-Leste has 7.5 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

have 21.2% less access to essential health services

Bosnia and Herzegovina scores 66 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Timor-Leste scores 52 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 85.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Timor-Leste, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 2.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16.9% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Timor-Leste, however, that number is 41.8% as of 2014.

View global rankings →

make 87.1% less money

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a GDP per capita of $10,382 as of 2025, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.8 times more children

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are approximately 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, there are 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 32.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, 192.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 29.3% less likely to be literate

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the literacy rate is 98.1% as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 6.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately 5.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 52.7% less likely to have internet access

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately 86.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 61.2% more on education

Bosnia and Herzegovina spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 35.3 times more coastline

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a total of 20 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 12.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, road accidents kill 13.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 100.0% less home broadband

Bosnia and Herzegovina has 29.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 13.7 times more strain on fresh water

Bosnia and Herzegovina withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Timor-Leste withdraws 28% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 92.2% less CO2

Bosnia and Herzegovina emits 6.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 10.9% more likely to die from air pollution

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Timor-Leste, it causes 61.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2014–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Timor-Leste

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Timor-Leste is 61.2% more expensive than Bosnia and Herzegovina overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Bosnia and Herzegovina is about 3.4 times bigger than Timor-Leste.
→
Moving from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Timor-Leste · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Timor-Leste: At a glance

Timor-Leste is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 14,874 sq km. The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. However, in the next three weeks, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. Most of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999, Australian-led peacekeeping troops deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state. In 2006, internal tensions threatened the new nation's security when a military strike led to violence and a breakdown of law and order. At Dili's request, an Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste, and the UN Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence of over 1,600 personnel. The ISF and UNMIT restored stability, allowing for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007 in a largely peaceful atmosphere. In February 2008, a rebel group staged an unsuccessful attack against the president and prime minister. The ringleader was killed in the attack, and most of the rebels surrendered in April 2008. Since the attack, the government has enjoyed one of its longest periods of post-independence stability, including successful 2012 elections for both the parliament and president. In late 2012, the UN Security Council voted to end its peacekeeping mission in Timor-Leste and both the ISF and UNMIT departed the country by the end of the year.
Read more

How big is Timor-Leste compared to Bosnia and Herzegovina? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Timor-Leste or Bosnia and Herzegovina. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.