Timor-Leste scores 84.5/100 on the 2023 RSF World Press Freedom Index, ranking #10 globally. Freedom House rates it Free (72/100). Context: pop 3.5 million, GDP $1.67B.
2023 Press Freedom Scorecard
Overall score and global position
In the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, Timor-Leste scores 84.49 out of 100 and ranks #10 globally — a broadly open press environment. Of the 25 Freedom House indicators, Timor-Leste earns 7 at the maximum 4/4 and 0 at 0/4; its strongest category is Electoral Process (11/12) and its weakest is Rule of Law (8/16).
84.5 / 100
Composite index comparison
Press freedom score — higher is freer.
Elections, political pluralism, government functioning.
Freedom of expression, association, rule of law, personal autonomy.
Academic press-freedom index from the Varieties of Democracy project (0–1 rescaled to 0–100).
Five-year RSF trend
Over 2019–2023, Timor-Leste moved from 70.07 to 84.49 on the RSF scale (a gain of 14.42 points). The lowest recorded score was 70.07 and the highest was 84.49.
Year-over-year RSF movement
Timor-Leste's biggest single-year RSF movement in the 2019–2023 window was a gain of 11.00 points between 2021 (70.89) and 2022 (81.89).
| Years | From | To | Δ score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 → 2020 | 70.07 | 70.10 | ▲ 0.03 |
| 2020 → 2021 | 70.10 | 70.89 | ▲ 0.79 |
| 2021 → 2022 | 70.89 | 81.89 | ▲ 11.00 |
| 2022 → 2023 | 81.89 | 84.49 | ▲ 2.60 |
Full socio-economic dashboard
Demographics & geography
Economy & labour
Health
Education
Administration
All socio-economic indicators from the World Bank country dataset (2023 snapshot).
Democratic Rights & Civil Liberties
Freedom status explained
Freedom House classifies Timor-Leste as Free with a 2024 aggregate score of 72/100 — meaning national institutions reliably protect political rights and civil liberties.
Within Freedom House's Asia region (43 countries), Timor-Leste ranks #17 on the latest aggregate score — the 62nd percentile. The region leaders are New Zealand, Japan, Australia.
Political Rights vs Civil Liberties
Rating 2 of 7 (1 = best)
Rating 3 of 7 (1 = best)
Political rights are rated noticeably higher than civil liberties — the formal political framework is more open than the day-to-day environment for expression, association, and personal autonomy.
Twelve-year Freedom House trend
Between 2013 and 2024, Freedom House moved Timor-Leste from Partly Free (Partly Free, 63/100) to Free (Free, 72/100).
Status transitions
Freedom House records 1 status transition for Timor-Leste between 2018 and 2018 — each row below marks the year the classification flipped between Free, Partly Free, and Not Free.
| Year | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Partly Free | → | Free |
Indicator trajectory (A–G over 12 years)
Of the 25 Freedom House indicators tracked for Timor-Leste, 8 moved at least one point across the available Freedom House history. The eight with the largest absolute change appear below.
| Code | Indicator | Earliest | Latest | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Elected officials govern | 2/4 (2013) | 4/4 (2024) | ▲ +2 |
| B1 | Right to organise in political parties | 3/4 (2013) | 4/4 (2024) | ▲ +1 |
| B2 | Opposition can gain power | 3/4 (2013) | 4/4 (2024) | ▲ +1 |
| D1 | Free media | 2/4 (2013) | 3/4 (2024) | ▲ +1 |
| D4 | Private discussion | 3/4 (2013) | 4/4 (2024) | ▲ +1 |
| E1 | Freedom of assembly | 2/4 (2013) | 3/4 (2024) | ▲ +1 |
| F1 | Independent judiciary | 1/4 (2013) | 2/4 (2024) | ▲ +1 |
| F3 | Protection from force | 2/4 (2013) | 3/4 (2024) | ▲ +1 |
Latest A–G indicator scorecard
Electoral Process
PR
-
A1Free and fair head-of-government elections
4/4
-
A2Free and fair legislative elections
4/4
-
A3Electoral laws and framework
3/4
Political Pluralism & Participation
PR
-
B1Right to organise in political parties
4/4
-
B2Opposition can realistically gain power
4/4
-
B3Free political choice without domination
3/4
-
B4Political rights of minorities
3/4
Functioning of Government
PR
-
C1Elected officials determine government policy
4/4
-
C2Safeguards against corruption
2/4
-
C3Transparency of government
2/4
Freedom of Expression & Belief
CL
-
D1Free and independent media
3/4
-
D2Freedom of religious expression
3/4
-
D3Academic freedom
4/4
-
D4Free private discussion
4/4
Associational & Organisational Rights
CL
-
E1Freedom of assembly
3/4
-
E2Freedom for NGOs
3/4
-
E3Free trade unions
2/4
Rule of Law
CL
-
F1Independent judiciary
2/4
-
F2Due process in civil and criminal matters
1/4
-
F3Protection from illegitimate force
3/4
-
F4Equal treatment under the law
2/4
Personal Autonomy & Individual Rights
CL
-
G1Freedom of movement
3/4
-
G2Property rights
2/4
-
G3Personal social freedoms
2/4
-
G4Equality of opportunity
2/4
Each indicator is scored 0–4 by Freedom House analysts; category subtotals combine into the Political Rights (A + B + C = 0–40) and Civil Liberties (D + E + F + G = 0–60) aggregates shown above. 2024 edition.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Timor-Leste see its biggest RSF press-freedom change?
The sharpest single-year shift was an improvement of 11.00 points between 2021 (70.89) and 2022 (81.89) on the RSF index.
Has Timor-Leste changed Freedom House classification in the last 12 years?
Yes — Freedom House reclassified Timor-Leste from Partly Free to Free in 2018, and the classification has held since.
Which Freedom House indicator moved most in Timor-Leste?
Indicator C1 (Elected officials govern) changed by +2 points, moving from 2/4 to 4/4 across the available history — the biggest indicator-level movement of the 25 Freedom House sub-scores for Timor-Leste.
How does Timor-Leste rank within its Freedom House region?
Timor-Leste holds position #17 of 43 in the Asia region on the latest Freedom House aggregate score. The region's top country is New Zealand (99/100).
What is Timor-Leste's economic context for its press freedom score?
Timor-Leste has a GDP of $1.67B across a population of 3.5 million, giving a per-capita GDP of about $478. Its capital is Dili; the official language is Portuguese.