Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 87.1% less likely to be obese

In Greenland, 28.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 2.4 years less

In Greenland, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 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 →

Economy

be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Greenland, 16.2% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Timor-Leste, however, that number is 41.8% as of 2014.

View global rankings →

make 97.7% less money

Greenland has a GDP per capita of $58,499 as of 2023, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 81.4% more children

In Greenland, there are approximately 12.0 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 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Greenland, approximately 8.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 41.4% less likely to have internet access

In Greenland, approximately 69.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 12.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Greenland, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 87% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 98.4% less coastline

Greenland has a total of 44,087 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 23.9% less likely to be murdered

Greenland has a homicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2016. In Timor-Leste, that number is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2015.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 100.0% less home broadband

Greenland has 32.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 95.2% less CO2

Greenland emits 10.4 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 (2015–2025), The World Factbook (2014–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Greenland vs. Timor-Leste

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Timor-Leste is 41.9% cheaper than Greenland overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Greenland is about 146 times bigger than Timor-Leste.
→
Moving from Greenland 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 Greenland? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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