CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS
IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Timor-Leste
- COUNTRY PROFILE
- GOALS
- Goal 1
- Goal 2
- Goal 3
- Implementation steps
- Events
- News
- Resources
- LIST OF COUNTRIES
Timor-Leste
At the time of independence in 2002, official registration was almost non-existent and the whole system needed to be built. A new legal regime for civil registration was implemented in 2004.
Civil registration is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, through the National Directorate of Civil Registration and Notary. There are thirteen civil registration offices, one in each municipality. But two additional government agencies collect civil registration data: the Ministry of State Affairs assists the Ministry of Finance of which the General Directorate of Statistics (GDS) is part by collecting and collating data at the Aldeia (community), Suco (village), Administrative Post and Municipality (District) levels and passing these compiled lists of births and deaths on a semi-annual basis to GDS Head Office. The Ministry of Health also collates birth and death registration data through health facilities across the country. There is no unique ID. In 2014, a committee on CRVS was established involving The Ministry of Finance (MoF), MoJ, MoH, Ministry of Education (MoE) and MoSA (Ministry of State Administration).
Births and deaths need to be reported by the family within 4 weeks. For children under 5 years birth registration is free of charge. The cost is $5 for registration of those aged over five years. A new reform of Civil Registration processes proposes a fine of $3 for delayed registration (after 4 weeks).
The Demographic and Health Survey of 2009-10 estimated that 55% of children under 5 years of age were registered and the 2015 census reported that 31.3% of children aged less than six years had a birth certificate. Completeness of deaths registrations in 2011 was estimated to be approximately 20%. It is estimated that Cause of Death is properly coded in fewer than 10% of cases. Collaboration with Suco Chiefs and midwives, as well as mobile registration have increased coverage, but remote areas remain hard to reach.
CRVS Focal Point:
Mr. Ricardo da Cruz Santo, Acting Director of Methodology and Data Collection, General Directorate of Statistics Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.C
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.D
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 Targets:
2.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
2.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 Targets:
3.A
By 2022, annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.B
By … (year), annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate), geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.C
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate).
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced to … per cent.
3.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
3.F
By 2022, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
3.G
By 2022, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
3.H
By 2022, an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 is an expression of the internationally accepted principle of the universal coverage of civil registration. The CRVS system should register all vital events occurring in the territory and jurisdiction of the country or area, including among hard-to-reach and marginalized populations.
National Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
TARGET
2024100%
1.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
MIDTERM
201660.4%
TARGET
2024100%
1.C
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
TARGET
2024100%
1.D
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
Note: This country has not submitted estimates for the number of deaths for all years. The level of completeness of death registration was therefore assessed with international estimates for every year, to allow comparison. These measurements are therefore to be interpreted with caution.
baseline
201422%
MIDTERM
201829%
TARGET
2024100%
1.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 reflects that CRVS systems provide legal documentation of civil registration to individuals and families for legal and administrative purposes. Legal documentation is strongly linked with a broad range of rights and activities, in particular legal identity. This goal addresses the distinction between the civil registration of a vital event and the possession of formal proof that it took place, in the form of legal documentation.
National Targets:
2.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
TARGET
2024100%
2.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
TARGET
2024100%
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 highlights the critical importance of civil registration being linked to the production and quality assurance of vital statistics on the occurrence and characteristics of vital events.
National Targets:
3.A
By 2022, annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
TARGET
2022
3.B
By … (year), annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate), geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
TARGET
Target achieved
3.C
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate).
Note: This target was not monitored as part of the Midterm Questionnaire on the Implementation of the Regional Action Framework for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced to … per cent.
3.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
Note: In light of recent countries’ experiences, Verbal autopsy is not encouraged to be applied to a large population scale, but rather on a representative sample. To reflect this, Target 3E is not anymore monitored by the coverage percentage of Verbal autopsy, but by the use or not of Verbal autopsy and its different applications.
MIDTERM
Yes
3.F
By 2022, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
TARGET
2022
3.G
By 2022, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
TARGET
2022
3.H
By 2022, an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
TARGET
2022
Timor-Leste
National Coordination Mechanism
Status in Timor-Leste: Complete
Comprehensive Assessment
Status in Timor-Leste: Complete
National Targets for 2024
Status in Timor-Leste: Complete
Monitoring & Reporting Plan
Status in Timor-Leste: Complete
Inequality Assessment
Status in Timor-Leste: Not started
National Strategy
Status in Timor-Leste: Complete
National Focal Point
Status in Timor-Leste: Complete
Reporting to ESCAP - Baseline
Status in Timor-Leste: Complete
Reporting to ESCAP - Midterm
Status in Timor-Leste: Complete
Timor-Leste Events
09 December 2015 - 10 December 2015
The workshop for National CRVS Focal Points is aimed at strengthening capacities for setting national targets and collecting, compiling and…
13 November 2018 - 15 November 2018
The Regional Steering Group is responsible for providing regional oversight and guidance for the implementation of the Regional Action Framework on…
07 October 2019 - 11 October 2019
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Statistics Norway, and the European Free Trade Association…
Timor-Leste News
20 August 2020
As part of its ongoing support for countries improving the performance of their CRVS systems, particularly death registration and causes of death,…
14 December 2018
angkok, Thailand
For the concluding activity of the collaborative ESCAP-Vital Strategies project to strengthen national capacities in producing and…
03 April 2017
Do you want to know how many countries in Asia and the Pacific have a CRVS coordination mechanism? Are you interested in how ambitious the national…
25 November 2016
The Statistics Division of ESCAP has sent invitations to National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to express their interest in participating in a project…
29 April 2016
Here you can find recent news, events and blogs relevant for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
Subscribe for more ! To receive regular updates on the…
Timor-Leste Resources
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2020
Report, 2017
The Births and Deaths Statistics Report contains information on the births and deaths occurring in Timor-Leste in 2014-2015. In addition to these…
Advocacy Materials, 2017
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics play a key role in facilitating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. A well-functioning CRVS…
Advocacy Materials, Country Assessments and Strategies, 2017
Do you want to know how many countries in Asia and the Pacific have a CRVS coordination mechanism? Are you interested in how ambitious the national…
Newsletters, 2017
Articles
New Chair of the Regional Steering Group on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific
Reporting on baselines and national targets for the Regional …
Meeting Documents, UN Official Documents, 2016
The seventy-first session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific adopted resolution 71/14 on the Asian and Pacific Civil…
International Standards and Recommendations, UN Official Documents, 2014
Through Commission resolution 69/15, countries in Asia and the Pacific requested that further regional action be taken to support the improvement of…
Country Statements, 2014
Timor-Leste issued this statement in the Ministerial Conference agenda item 6 regarding the State of civil registration and vital statistics in Asia…
Country Statements, 2014
Country statement delivered during the Ministerial Conference under agenda item 4 - Implementation of the Regional Action Framework on CRVS in Asia…
Meeting Documents, 2014
Advocacy Materials, Meeting Documents, 2014
The Ministerial Declaration to "Get every one in the picture' in Asia and the Pacific was made at the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration…
Meeting Documents, Report, UN Official Documents, 2014
The Report of the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific gives an overview of the main outcomes of…
Timor-Leste
At the time of independence in 2002, official registration was almost non-existent and the whole system needed to be built. A new legal regime for civil registration was implemented in 2004.
Civil registration is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, through the National Directorate of Civil Registration and Notary. There are thirteen civil registration offices, one in each municipality. But two additional government agencies collect civil registration data: the Ministry of State Affairs assists the Ministry of Finance of which the General Directorate of Statistics (GDS) is part by collecting and collating data at the Aldeia (community), Suco (village), Administrative Post and Municipality (District) levels and passing these compiled lists of births and deaths on a semi-annual basis to GDS Head Office. The Ministry of Health also collates birth and death registration data through health facilities across the country. There is no unique ID. In 2014, a committee on CRVS was established involving The Ministry of Finance (MoF), MoJ, MoH, Ministry of Education (MoE) and MoSA (Ministry of State Administration).
Births and deaths need to be reported by the family within 4 weeks. For children under 5 years birth registration is free of charge. The cost is $5 for registration of those aged over five years. A new reform of Civil Registration processes proposes a fine of $3 for delayed registration (after 4 weeks).
The Demographic and Health Survey of 2009-10 estimated that 55% of children under 5 years of age were registered and the 2015 census reported that 31.3% of children aged less than six years had a birth certificate. Completeness of deaths registrations in 2011 was estimated to be approximately 20%. It is estimated that Cause of Death is properly coded in fewer than 10% of cases. Collaboration with Suco Chiefs and midwives, as well as mobile registration have increased coverage, but remote areas remain hard to reach.
CRVS Focal Point:
Mr. Ricardo da Cruz Santo, Acting Director of Methodology and Data Collection, General Directorate of Statistics Timor-Leste
Events
Dec 09-10 2015
Nov 13-15 2018
News
Resources
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2020
Advocacy Materials, 2017