Measure
Analysis
Timor-Leste is a minor power in Asia.
Included in the Asia Power Index for the first time in 2024, due to its likely future accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Timor-Leste ranks 26th overall, slightly ahead of last-placed Papua New Guinea.
Timor-Leste is ranked last for five measures: economic capability, future resources, economic relationships, defence networks, and cultural influence.
The country’s highest measure score is for diplomatic influence, where it ranks 20th, even before acceding to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which would likely further increase this score. This reflects the active effort of Timor-Leste’s leaders to engage countries in Asia through diplomatic meetings.
Timor-Leste also scores relatively higher in the resilience measure, ranking 22nd.
Timor-Leste exerts less influence in the region than expected given its available resources, as indicated by the country’s negative power gap score.
Read more analysis in the Key Findings report. Explore further results in the Scores section.
Timor-Leste appears in the Asia Power Index for the first time this year.
Scores
Comprehensive power
A country’s weighted average across eight measures of power