Timor-Leste Is Facing a Make-or-Break Moment

Nov 24, 2021 | Avelino Dos Santos Da Costa
View Original

Since the restoration of its independence in 2002, Timor-Leste has made tremendous progress in social capital (education and health), infrastructure (electricity and telecommunication), and in institutional frameworks such as security, defense and foreign affairs. To cite some figures, in the health sector, the number of physicians per 1,000 people significantly increased from 0.034 in 2007 to 0.722 in 2018, which amounts to a 21 fold rise. Additionally, there have been enormous improvements in access to electricity. In 2002, only 23.9 percent of households had access to electricity – essentially, only Timorese living in cities. However, today, even those who live in the countryside have electricity. According to the 2019 survey, the number of households with access to electricity reached 94.7 percent nationwide. These are just two examples of the stunning improvements Timor-Leste has made in less than 20 years.