Timor census shows slower than predicted population growth

On October 20, the government of Timor-Leste announced preliminary results of the recently-completed census with a total population of Timor-Leste is 1,066,582.

This number represents a 2.41 per cent annual population growth since the last census was undertaken, in 2004. The growth has been significantly slower than what was projected back in 2004 (3.2% per year) but is still the highest in the Southeast Asia and Pacific region.

Another noteworthy finding among the preliminary census results is that the population of the district of Dili has grown by a third, from 175,730 to 241,331, since 2004. Nevertheless, an overwhelming majority, 70.4%, of the Timorese people still lives in rural areas.