01Key Takeaways
- Timor-Leste imported $909.44 million worth of goods in 2023, down 2.6% from $933.46 million in 2022, essentially unchanged and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Mineral fuels led every import category at 21.0% ($191.14 million), with vehicles ranking a distant second at 10.7% ($97.75 million).
- Indonesia was Timor-Leste's largest import partner, supplying 33.0% of imports, worth $300.46 million.
- The top three import partners together accounted for 57.5% of total import value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $535.6M | $496.9M | $542.3M | $933.5M | $909.4M |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indonesia | $300.5M | 33.0% |
| 2 | China | $128.6M | 14.1% |
| 3 | Singapore | $94.2M | 10.4% |
| 4 | Other Asia, nes | $81.9M | 9.0% |
| 5 | Australia | $60.5M | 6.6% |
| 6 | India | $52.1M | 5.7% |
| 7 | Malaysia | $30.2M | 3.3% |
| 8 | United States | $21.3M | 2.3% |
| 9 | Hong Kong SAR China | $20.9M | 2.3% |
| 10 | Vietnam | $20.0M | 2.2% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $191.1M | 21.0% |
| 2 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $97.8M | 10.7% |
| 3 | Cereals | $78.3M | 8.6% |
| 4 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $60.3M | 6.6% |
| 5 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $50.6M | 5.6% |
| 6 | Iron and Steel | $30.7M | 3.4% |
| 7 | Beverages, Spirits and Vinegar | $28.6M | 3.1% |
| 8 | Preparations of Cereals, Flour, Starch or Milk; Pastrycooks' Products | $28.2M | 3.1% |
| 9 | Meat and Edible Meat Offal | $27.9M | 3.1% |
| 10 | Salt; Sulphur; Earths and Stone; Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement | $26.5M | 2.9% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Held Nearly Steady in 2023 After a Sharp 2022 Jump
Timor-Leste imported $909.44 million worth of goods in 2023, down 2.6% from $933.46 million in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023.
Import value stood at $535.64 million in 2019. It fell to $496.90 million in 2020, the low point of this five-year window, before recovering to $542.32 million in 2021. Import value then jumped sharply to $933.46 million in 2022, the high point of this five-year window, before easing back slightly to $909.44 million in 2023.
This dataset does not explain the 2022 jump or the modest pullback that followed. Import value in 2023 nonetheless remained far above every year in this window before 2022. A decline of just 2.6% describes a near-plateau rather than a genuine reversal, holding on to almost all of the sharp gain recorded the year before. That gain arrived in the same year this country's export value also peaked, before both sides of trade pulled back the following year. The scale of that pullback differs sharply between the two sides, though. Export value collapsed by more than half in 2023, while import value barely moved.
Fuel, Vehicles and Rice Lead an Import List Reflecting Food and Energy Dependence
Mineral fuels led every import category in 2023, worth $191.14 million, or 21.0% of the total, the largest single category on this list. Vehicles ranked a distant second at 10.7%, worth $97.75 million. Cereals rounded out a top three at 8.6%, worth $78.27 million. Timor-Leste's rice import dependency means that changes in international rice prices directly affect domestic prices, exposing the population to global market volatility, a dependence reflected in cereals ranking among this dataset's top import categories.
Machinery and mechanical appliances added 6.6%, worth $60.31 million, and electrical machinery contributed 5.6%, worth $50.62 million. Iron and steel added 3.4%, worth $30.74 million. These categories point toward construction and infrastructure activity, a plausible complement to the vehicle imports ranking just above them on this list.
Beverages, spirits and vinegar contributed 3.1% ($28.62 million), and preparations of cereals, flour and starch added a nearly identical 3.1% ($28.19 million). Meat and edible meat offal contributed a similar 3.1% ($27.92 million), and salt, sulphur and earths closed out the top ten at 2.9%, worth $26.45 million, the smallest share among the ten categories listed here. Food-related categories appear repeatedly across this list, spanning cereals, cereal preparations, beverages and meat. That pattern describes an economy that imports a large share of its basic food supply. Three of those four food categories sit within a fraction of a percentage point of each other, forming a tight cluster near the bottom of this ranking.
Indonesia Leads a Partner List Anchored in Southeast Asia
Indonesia was Timor-Leste's largest import partner in 2023, taking 33.0% of imports, worth $300.46 million. China ranked second at 14.1%, worth $128.63 million. Singapore followed at 10.4%, worth $94.24 million. Together, these top three partners accounted for 57.5% of total import value, a somewhat lower concentration than the more extreme clustering seen on the export side of trade for this same country.
A category labeled "Other Asia, nes," a recognized catch-all classification within international trade statistics for shipments not assigned to a single specific origin, ranked fourth at 9.0%, worth $81.93 million. Australia followed at 6.6%, worth $60.47 million, and India added 5.7%, worth $52.15 million.
Malaysia contributed 3.3% ($30.22 million), and United States added 2.3% ($21.29 million). Hong Kong SAR China followed at 2.3% ($20.88 million), and Vietnam closed out the top ten at 2.2%, worth $19.99 million, the smallest share among the ten partners listed here. Indonesia's outsized lead reflects its position as the nearest large neighbor. That geographic advantage shows up clearly across this entire partner list. Every partner outside the top four holds a share below 7%, a steep drop-off once the ranking moves past the leading Southeast Asian and East Asian markets.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an import profile built around fuel, vehicles and food staples, holding steady even as the export side of this economy pulled back sharply. That profile is sourced from a partner base led decisively by Indonesia, with the remainder spread across Asia, Australia and a handful of more distant markets.