Country import demand

Timor-Leste
import demand

A reported view of Timor-Leste's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

TLS2002-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsEconomy and income contracted
Latest imports$1.0B2024 reported
Import growth+3.7%Year on year
Population1.4MReported population
GDP per capita$1.3KCurrent-dollar GDP
Trade openness0%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Timor-Leste import?

In 2024, Timor-Leste recorded $1.0B in reported imports. Imports changed +3.7% year on year and +11.1% annualized over three years. Mineral fuels was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$533.1M
2014
$554.6M
2015
$501.6M
2016
$593.3M
2017
$548.2M
2018
$483.6M
2019
$538.0M
2020
$592.6M
2021
$737.0M
2022
$1.0B
2023
$973.9M
2024
$1.0B

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$1.9B2024 macro context
GDP growth-1.7%Five-year CAGR
Population growth1.5%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate0%National rate
Savings rate0%National rate
Trade openness0%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Timor-Leste
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Mineral fuelsHS2 27$154.5M15.3%3027
2Coffee, tea and spicesHS2 09$3.5M0.3%3238
3BeveragesHS2 22$28.5M2.8%4924
4Electrical machineryHS2 85$75.0M7.4%84255
5Oil seeds and oleaginous fruitsHS2 12$1.3M0.1%2638
6Iron and steelHS2 72$26.0M2.6%24130
7MachineryHS2 84$86.0M8.5%75471
8RubberHS2 40$10.8M1.1%4568
9Optical and medical instrumentsHS2 90$11.2M1.1%65139
10CerealsHS2 10$57.2M5.7%2721

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration3,595.4Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share76%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets0Reported count
Average distance11,192 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceEconomy and income contractedCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3TLS
Exports Usd$66.7M
Imports Usd$1.0B
Trade Balance Usd-$942.8M
Yoy Exports Growth Pct-58.8%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct3.7%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct-43.9%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct11.1%
Export Partner Hhi3,595.4
Export Product Hhi3,745.5
Momentum Score-54.3
Risk Score36.7
Gdp Million Usd1,865.6 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$1.3K
Population1,400,638
Labor ForceNot reported
Investment Rate PctNot reported
Savings Rate PctNot reported
Secondary Education PctNot reported
Tertiary Education PctNot reported
Total Factor ProductivityNot reported
Trade Openness PctNot reported
Exports Gdp PctNot reported
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners0
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners2%
Num Shared Language Partners8%
Avg Partner Distance Km11,192 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta0
Pct Partners Shared Language3%
Pct Partners Shared Border0.7%
Avg Applied Tariff PctNot reported
Avg Mfn Tariff PctNot reported
Avg Preferential Tariff PctNot reported
Tariff Advantage PpNot reported
Avg Distance All Partners KmNot reported
Num Border PartnersNot reported
Num Colonial PartnersNot reported
Avg Substitution Elasticity-7.6
Pct Products High Elasticity63.1
Pct Products Low Elasticity3.8
Real Market PotentialNot reported
Foreign Market PotentialNot reported

Supplier context

Country Iso3TLS
All History Lane Count298
Current Lane Count23
Critical Lane Count1
High Attention Lane Count1
High Volatility Lane Count9
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count8
Declining Demand Lane Count0
Concentrated Market Lane Count7
Access Friction Lane Count0
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count2
Monitored Exports Current Usd$47.2M
Attention Exports Usd$40.2M
Critical Exports Usd$38.7M
High Volatility Exports Usd$43.3M
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$41.3M
Non Fta Exports Usd$0.0
Monitored Attention Share Pct85.2%
Monitored Critical Share Pct81.9%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct0%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct69.6%
Export Weighted Distance KmNot reported
Export Weighted Tariff PctNot reported
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year2,002
Country Years Count23
Total Exports Latest Usd$66.7M
Total Imports Latest Usd$1.0B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$942.8M
Exports Yoy Latest Pct-58.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct-43.9%
Gdp Latest Million Usd1,865.6 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$1.3K
Population Latest1,400,638
Investment Rate Latest PctNot reported
Savings Rate Latest PctNot reported
Trade Openness Latest PctNot reported
Exports Gdp Latest PctNot reported
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest0
Foreign Market Potential LatestNot reported
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct-1.7%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct-3.1%
Population 5y Cagr Pct1.5%
Partner Hhi Latest3,595.4
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct58.1%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct76%
Partner Hhi All Avg3,610
Partner Hhi All Max7,727.4
Product Hhi Latest3,745.5
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct58%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct84.8%
Product Hhi All Avg4,147.9
Product Hhi All Max8,598.2
Total Exports Attention Share Pct60.3%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct58%
Attention LevelCritical attention
Primary Risk DriverHigh trade volatility
Macro Resilience LabelEconomy and income contracted

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
2002$117.7M$17.2M-$100.5M+0%
2003$122.2M$7.8M-$114.3M+3.8%
2004$107.2M$77.2M-$30.1M-12.2%
2005$110.8M$72.1M-$38.8M+3.4%
2006$126.6M$32.7M-$93.9M+14.2%
2007$150.4M$27.7M-$122.7M+18.8%
2008$344.5M$152.6M-$191.9M+129%
2009$364.2M$94.9M-$269.2M+5.7%
2010$506.8M$66.0M-$440.8M+39.2%
2011$597.9M$140.4M-$457.5M+18%
2012$561.4M$625.6M$64.2M-6.1%
2013$533.1M$809.2M$276.1M-5%
2014$554.6M$120.5M-$434.1M+4%
2015$501.6M$308.9M-$192.7M-9.6%
2016$593.3M$55.3M-$538.0M+18.3%
2017$548.2M$92.4M-$455.8M-7.6%
2018$483.6M$61.5M-$422.2M-11.8%
2019$538.0M$126.2M-$411.8M+11.2%
2020$592.6M$199.9M-$392.6M+10.1%
2021$737.0M$378.5M-$358.5M+24.4%
2022$1.0B$428.1M-$599.0M+39.4%
2023$973.9M$161.8M-$812.1M-5.2%
2024$1.0B$66.7M-$942.8M+3.7%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
127Mineral fuels$154.5M15.3%3027
209Coffee, tea and spices$3.5M0.3%3238
322Beverages$28.5M2.8%4924
485Electrical machinery$75.0M7.4%84255
512Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits$1.3M0.1%2638
672Iron and steel$26.0M2.6%24130
784Machinery$86.0M8.5%75471
840Rubber$10.8M1.1%4568
990Optical and medical instruments$11.2M1.1%65139
1010Cereals$57.2M5.7%2721

Questions about this profile

Timor-Leste import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Timor-Leste import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Timor-Leste.

What is the latest reported import value for Timor-Leste?

Timor-Leste recorded $1.0B in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Timor-Leste's imports?

Mineral fuels leads by reported import value at $154.5M.

How many years of Timor-Leste import history are available?

This profile contains 23 annual rows covering 2002 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.