- COUNTRY PROFILE
- GOALS
- Goal 1
- Goal 2
- Goal 3
- Implementation steps
- Events
- News
- Resources
- LIST OF COUNTRIES
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.
Mr. Ricardo da Cruz Santo, Acting Director of Methodology and Data Collection, General Directorate of Statistics Timor-Leste
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 Targets:
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:
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:
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:
TARGET
2024100%
MIDTERM
201660.4%
TARGET
2024100%
TARGET
2024100%
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%
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:
TARGET
2024100%
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:
TARGET
2022
TARGET
Target achieved
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.
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
TARGET
2022
TARGET
2022
TARGET
2022

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
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.
Mr. Ricardo da Cruz Santo, Acting Director of Methodology and Data Collection, General Directorate of Statistics Timor-Leste