Timor-Leste

Waiting for the first voice

تا مرد سخن نگفته باشد / عیب و هنرش نهفته باشد
Until a man has spoken, his faults and his gifts both stay hidden.

Saadi, Gulistan, chapter I, story 3

No advice from here yet. Know an elder from this country? Your recording could be the first: 2–3 minutes on a phone.

Timor-Leste became an independent country on 20 May 2002. (source)

of people are 65 or older: 5.2%
people aged 65 or older: 74.2K
will be 65 or older in 2050: 7%
is how long people live after 60, on average: 18.2 years
of people 65+ live alone: 8.7%; women 11.4%, men 5.7%
of people 65+ live in collective quarters: care homes, hospitals, hostels and the like: 0.2%

Sources: World Bank, 2025; World Bank projection for 2050; WHO, 2023; UN, 2016; UN, 2004 census

19 languages, 11 of them endangered

Show all 19

Languages and their status: Glottolog v5.3, CC BY 4.0. Names: Wikidata.

List and years: ich.unesco.org

Record their advice in their native language: 2–3 minutes on a phone.