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

Health

live 8.6 years longer

In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 5.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 4.8 times more doctors per person

Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Romania has 36.2 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 50.0% more access to essential health services

Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Romania scores 78 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 9.0 times more likely to be obese

In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 16.8 times more money

Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Romania, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 93.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 42.9% more likely to be literate

In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Romania, it is 99.2% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 82.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 65.5% fewer children

In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Romania, about 91.3% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 14.5% more likely to have access to drinking water

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

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 37.4% less on education

Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 40.5% less on healthcare

Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 68.1% less coastline

Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 20.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 3580.0 times more home broadband

Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 73.0% less strain on fresh water

Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 24.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 7.4 times more CO2

Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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