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Timor-Leste launches its first Statistical Bulletin on Social Protection 2017–2024

The Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) through the ACTION/Portugal project, funded by the Portuguese Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, launched on 8 July 2025, in the MSSI Conference Hall in Dili, the 1st Statistical Bulletin on Social Protection 2017–2024.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security of Portugal, the Ambassador of Portugal to Timor-Leste, representatives of the ILO, members of the Government of Timor-Leste, leaders and technicians from various public institutions, representatives of workers and employers, development partners and civil society organisations. The Director-General of Social Protection of the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), Florêncio Pina, welcomed participants to the official launch ceremony of the 1st Statistical Bulletin on Social Protection. The opening session was chaired by the Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Verónica das Dores.

The Minister stressed that “…more than just a statistical compilation, this bulletin is a real governance tool — a tool that allows us to identify gaps, measure progress and guide decision-making with greater responsibility and impact”. She added that "the bulletin is a bridge between data and decisions, between commitment and action".

Also present at this session were the Director-General of the Strategy and Planning Office of the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, José Luís Albuquerque (remotely), and Zhiming Yu, Data and Statistics Officer of the ILO's Social Protection Department, representing the Director of the ILO Office in Timor-Leste, Simrin Singh.

After the opening session, the Minister officially launched the Bulletin. This was followed by a presentation of the main sections of the Social Protection Bulletin, structured according to a life cycle approach, covering everything from child protection to the most vulnerable groups. The session began with Rita Fernandes, social protection expert and manager of the ILO's ACTION/Portugal Project in Timor-Leste, who gave an overview of the state of social protection in the country. This was followed by a presentation by Joana da Cunha, head of the Department of Child Protection and Promotion at the MSSI, who addressed child support mechanisms. Eurico da Costa Santos, director of the Research Department at the National Social Security Institute (I2NSS), presented data on social protection in working life. The director of the INSS Benefits Department, Diva Maria Ximenes Andrade, presented data on social protection for the elderly. Closing the presentation, José Gonçalves, head of the MSSI Department for the Protection and Reintegration of the Elderly and Other Vulnerable Groups, highlighted interventions targeting the most vulnerable groups.

The Statistical Bulletin on Social Protection in Timor-Leste, 2017-2024, represents a significant milestone in strengthening the social protection system in Timor-Leste. In terms of results:

• Effective coverage of the population: in 2024, around 27% of the population was effectively covered by at least one social protection cash transfer, leaving a significant part of the population unprotected. 12.2% of the population was covered by at least one contributory cash transfer, while 14.8% of the population was covered by at least one non-contributory cash transfer.
• Child protection: in 2024, 13.2% of children aged 0 to 14 (13.3% of males and 13.1% of females) were covered by cash benefits.
• Protection during working life: in 2024, 1.9% of women who gave birth received maternity benefits. 24.2% of people unable to work were covered by disability benefits. 27.1% of the national workforce was covered by protection in the event of an accident at work. Workers still have no coverage in the event of occupational illness or unemployment.
• Protection of the elderly: coverage of the elderly is the most widespread form of coverage through pensions. In 2024, 91.6% of the elderly (83.6% of men and 98.9% of women) received an old-age pension. In the same year, around 90.3% of elderly people (81.5% of men and 98.3% of women) received a social old-age pension. Only 1.3% of elderly people received a contributory old-age pension (2.1% of men and 0.6% of women).
• Support for Vulnerable Groups: In 2024, 16.8% of vulnerable people received non-contributory cash benefits, with the vulnerable population consisting of all children, elderly people who do not receive a pension from the contributory (or transitional) scheme, and the working-age population who are not registered in the general contributory scheme and do not receive benefits from the contributory scheme.
• Social protection expenditure: in 2024, total expenditure represented 11.4% of non-oil GDP.

 At the closing session, Rita Fernandes of the ILO highlighted that the technicians and managers who participated in the training seminar on the "Importance of Statistical Bulletins for Monitoring the Development of Social Protection in Timor-Leste", held as part of ACTION/Portugal's activities on 3 and 4 July 2025, had the opportunity to review the main indicators and their methodology, carry out a critical analysis of the data and reflect on what the next bulletin could look like. In addition, one of the main outcomes of this training was the joint preparation of an Action Plan for the preparation of the next bulletin, the second edition, in 2025.

The President of the INSS and the Social Security Reserve Fund, Arlindo Pinto, stressed that “the first Statistical Bulletin on Social Protection in Timor-Leste represents a milestone in transparency, rigour and commitment to the development of social protection and the inclusive and sustainable social well-being of our people”. The President also highlighted that social security measures have a significant weight in social protection and in the Statistical Bulletin, stating that “a contributory system that is only nine years old and still under construction has generated very positive and encouraging results: every year, the number of registered workers and employers increases; every year, the number of beneficiaries receiving benefits increases”.

However, he did not fail to mention some key challenges, highlighting that "…the informality of the labour market continues to limit the scope of social protection and the tax base; contribution coverage still needs to be expanded to ensure that the system reaches everyone; and it is essential to continue investing in institutional strengthening and improving the working conditions of the INSS, as this is a prerequisite for the effectiveness of any public policy in this area."

Finally, the Director General of Social Protection of the MSSI, Florencio Pina, presented the main recommendations and conclusions highlighted in the Bulletin.

• Ensure the regular and systematic collection and validation of statistics on all social protection benefits and programmes;
• Process data in such a way that statistics are disaggregated, at least by sex, age group and municipality;
• Process social security data in such a way that it is possible to distinguish between registered workers and active contributors. The number of active social security contributors is essential for calculating social protection indicators;
• Ensure the annual production of administrative statistics on social protection;
• Ensure that social protection indicators are updated so that they can be calculated and disseminated annually;
• Look into the possibility of creating an integrated database of administrative statistics on non-contributory and contributory social protection benefits and programmes, so that the main social protection indicators can be calculated and monitored;
• Integrate data on civil servants' pay and social security contributions into the INSS information system;
• Rapidly streamline the development process for the INSS information system modules that are still to be developed, facilitate their integration and promote their integrated use;
• Approve the Social Protection Statistics Group and ensure that this Group can periodically carry out the work of collecting, harmonising, validating, analysing, compiling and disseminating the Statistical Bulletin on a regular basis;
• Strengthen the technical capacity of the Social Protection Statistics Group through statistical training courses and continuous training in the workplace;
• Update national statistics on poverty and inequality;
• Conduct impact studies on social protection policy measures in reducing poverty and inequality.