Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of Burma, you would:

Health

live 0.8 years longer

In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 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 →

be 55.6% less likely to be obese

In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 62.8% more spent on your healthcare

Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Timor-Leste spends $461 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 23.2% more likely to die by suicide

Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 47.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Timor-Leste, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 68.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Timor-Leste, however, that number is 41.8% as of 2014.

View global rankings →

Life

have 32.3% more children

In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 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 25.8% less likely to be literate

In Burma, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2020. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 30.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 2.2 times more on healthcare

Burma spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 63.4% less coastline

Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 37.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 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 99.7% less home broadband

Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 4.9 times more strain on fresh water

Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Timor-Leste withdraws 28% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 14.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Timor-Leste, it causes 61.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 13.8% less CO2

Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2014), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Burma vs. Timor-Leste

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Timor-Leste is 71.3% more expensive than Burma overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Burma is about 45 times bigger than Timor-Leste.
→

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 Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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