Timor-Leste is a unitary semi-presidential republic that became independent in 2002 and joined ASEAN in 2025. A sovereign Petroleum Fund finances the state, and Catholicism is closely tied to national identity.
In the 12 Axes register, Timor-Leste leans hardest on Irreligious – Religious: Religious 83%; the register median is Religious 68%.
Take the test and this line shows how close your twelve scores are to Timor-Leste, and the axis where you differ most.
Where Timor-Leste sits on each of the twelve axes, in four categories. The label is our estimate; the line under it says why.
Unitary
Unitary state with 14 municipalities
Representative Democracy
Direct presidential and parliamentary elections
Liberal
Free press, competitive multiparty elections
Cooperation
ASEAN member since 2025
Neutral
Small defence force, no major wars
Centrist
Portuguese, Tetum official languages
Mixed Economic
Petroleum Fund drives state spending
Balanced
Oil-funded state, limited private sector
Free Trade
ASEAN member, joined WTO in August 2024
Religious
Over 95 percent Catholic, concordat
Conservative
Catholic-influenced social norms
Neutral
No distinct state stance
Set against the median of all 195 countries in the register.
Democratic – Autocratic
On Democratic – Autocratic, Timor-Leste is at Democratic 68%. The register median is balanced 50%.
Federal – Unitary
On Federal – Unitary, Timor-Leste is at Unitary 68%, almost the register median of Unitary 68%.
Closeness is 100 minus the root-mean-square distance on all twelve axes.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · freedomhouse.org
Map: Alvaro1984 18, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and resized.
Last updated: 2026-10-15
The tiers on this page are our estimates from public positions and policies. They are not an official statement by the person or the government concerned. Two independent passes scored every axis and a third settled the differences. How the register works. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].
