Demographics of Estonia

File:Estonia 1950-2021.gif

Estonia animated population pyramid

The demographics of Estonia in the 21st century result from historical trends over more than a thousand years, as with most European countries, but have been disproportionately influenced by events in the second half of the 20th century. The Soviet occupation (1944–1991), extensive immigration from Russia and other parts of the former USSR, and the eventual restoration of independence of Estonia, have all had a major effect on Estonia's current ethnic makeup.Template:Citation needed

Languages spoken in Estonia largely reflect the composition of the indigenous and immigrant ethnic groups residing in Estonia, and thus have changed with historical trends affecting the ethnic makeup of the country. Similarly to other northern European peoples, religion plays a rather small part in the lives of most Estonians.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Overall, the quality-of-life indices for Estonia indicate a modern industrial state. The population declined annually from 1991 until 2016, except for a brief pause in 2010.<ref name="Population by sex and age group, 1 January"/> Since 2016 immigration has exceeded emigration, making the overall population grow.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Population size and structure

According to the data of Statistics Estonia, on 1 January 2025, the population of Estonia was 1,369,995 persons.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 1 January 2024, the population of Estonia was 1,374,687 persons.<ref name="2024_0101">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 1 January 2023, the population was 1,365,884.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The population increased from 1,351,640 in January 1970 to 1,570,599 in January 1990. After 1990, Estonia lost about 15% of its population (230,000 people). The population decreased to 1,294,455 by December 2011, a figure lower than that recorded in 1970.

• 1,331,824 (2021 Population and Housing Census) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 1,294,455 (2011 Population Count and Housing Census) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 1,370,052 (2000 Population Count and Housing Census) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Decreasing population pressures are explained by a higher death than birth rate and periods of an excess of emigrants over immigrants.

Since 2015 the country has experienced population growth.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The population mainly increased as a result of net immigration of European Union citizens.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> Citizens of Russia and Ukraine made up the bulk of non-EU immigration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The increase was detected through methodological changes in data collection. Initially a population decrease had been reported.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>

Structure of the population

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	630 081	699 398	1 329 479	100
0–4	36 496	34 282	70 778	5.32
5–9	36 943	35 192	72 135	5.43
10–14	38 862	36 812	75 674	5.69
15–19	32 557	31 056	63 613	4.78
20–24	32 304	30 481	62 785	4.72
25–29	41 090	37 598	78 688	5.92
30–34	53 536	47 937	101 473	7.63
35–39	49 887	46 058	95 945	7.22
40–44	47 106	44 160	91 266	6.86
45–49	46 552	45 084	91 636	6.89
50–54	41 680	42 995	84 675	6.37
55–59	41 167	45 436	86 603	6.51
60–64	38 495	47 293	85 788	6.45
65–69	32 536	45 680	78 216	5.88
70–74	24 568	39 996	64 564	4.86
75–79	16 040	31 412	47 452	3.57
80–84	12 326	30 478	42 804	3.22
85–89	5 683	17 620	23 303	1.75
90–94	1 960	7 968	9 928	0.75
95–99	278	1 724	2 002	0.15
100+	15	136	151	0.01
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	112 301	106 286	218 587	16.44
15–64	424 374	418 098	842 472	63.37
65+	93 406	175 014	268 420	20.19

File:Age structure of Estonia (1970-2010).png

Age structure of Estonia from 1970 to 2010. Data is taken from Statistics Estonia.<ref name="Population by sex and age group, 1 January"/> Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend

Between 1970 and 1990 the age structure of Estonia was rather stable with around 22% of the population in the age group 0–14 years, 66% between 15 and 65, while 12% were 65 years or older.<ref name="Population by sex and age group, 1 January"/> Due to the low birth rates after 1990, the proportion of the population 0–14 years of age dropped to 15% in 2009, while the proportion of 65 years or older gradually increased to 17% in 2009. The proportion of the age group 15–64 also slightly increased to 68% in 2009.

Vital statistics

File:Marriages and divorces in Estonia over time.svg

Marriages and divorces in Estonia over time

Vital statistics for the Governorate of Estonia

The Governorate of Estonia comprised the northern part of present-day Estonia. The southern part was part of the Governorate of Livonia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)
1900	428,000	12,487	8,227	4,260	29.2	19.2	10.0
1901	430,000	12,703	8,428	4,275	29.5	19.6	9.9
1902	434,000	13,101	7,724	5,377	30.2	17.8	12.4
1903	440,000	12,704	8,004	4,700	28.9	18.2	10.7
1904	446,000	12,753	8,279	4,474	28.6	18.6	10.0
1905	449,000	11,991	9,694	2,297	26.7	21.6	5.1
1906	452,000	12,417	8,842	3,575	27.4	19.5	7.9
1907	455,000	12,304	8,730	3,574	27.0	19.2	7.9
1908	459,000	11,861	8,495	3,366	25.8	18.5	7.3
1909	464,000	11,970	8,297	3,673	25.8	17.9	7.9
1910	466,000	12,193	8,204	3,989	26.2	17.6	8.6
1911	472,000	11,749	8,976	2,773	24.9	19.0	5.9
1912	480,000	11,900	8,431	3,469	24.8	17.6	7.2
1913	491,000	11,653	9,089	2,564	23.7	18.5	5.2
1914	506,000	11,854	9,212	2,642	23.4	18.2	5.2

Present Estonia

Source: Statistics Estonia<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Live births by age group in Estonia.svg

Live births by age group in Estonia

From 1947 to 1989 the number of births was higher than the number of deaths, but from 1990 onwards the number of deaths outnumbered the number of births. The crude birth rate of 2011 was 10.96 (14,679 births) and the crude death rate of 2011 was 11.38 (15,244 deaths), making the rate of natural increase −0.42 (−565).<ref name="Births, deaths and natural increase"/> For more detailed historic data, see the table below.

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Crude migration change (per 1000)	Total fertility rate	Infant mortality rate
1914	1,197,000	26,865	20,882	5,983	22.4	17.4	5.0	-12.5
1915	1,188,000	24,680	21,841	2,839	20.8	18.4	2.4	-31.9
1916	1,154,000	21,282	25,429	Template:Hyphen4,147	18.4	22.0	Template:Hyphen3.6	-25.9
1917	1,120,000	18,333	27,336	Template:Hyphen9,003	16.4	24.4	Template:Hyphen8.0	-22.4
1918	1,086,000	21,659	32,488	Template:Hyphen10,829	19.9	29.9	Template:Hyphen10.0	-10.3
1919	1,064,000	18,456	28,800	Template:Hyphen10,344	17.3	27.1	Template:Hyphen9.7	13.5
1920	1,068,000	19,625	21,363	Template:Hyphen1,738	18.4	20.0	Template:Hyphen1.6	19.4
1921	1,087,000	22,067	17,143	4,924	20.3	15.8	4.5	9.3
1922	1,102,000	22,255	18,401	3,854	20.2	16.7	3.5	4.7
1923	1,111,000	22,347	16,630	5,717	20.1	15.0	5.1	-0.6
1924	1,116,000	21,441	16,918	4,523	19.2	15.2	4.1	-3.2		99.9
1925	1,117,000	20,445	16,680	3,765	18.3	14.9	3.4	-3.4		95.7
1926	1,117,000	19,977	18,047	1,900	17.9	16.2	1.7	-2.6		101.8
1927	1,116,000	19,705	19,356	500	17.7	17.3	0.4	-0.4		114.6
1928	1,116,000	20,064	17,785	2,279	18.0	15.9	2.0	-2.0		103.6
1929	1,116,000	19,110	20,178	Template:Hyphen1,068	17.1	18.1	Template:Hyphen1.0	1.0		110.5
1930	1,116,000	19,471	16,610	2,861	17.4	14.9	2.6	-0.8		100.1
1931	1,118,000	19,509	18,077	1,432	17.4	16.2	1.3	2.3		102.8
1932	1,122,000	19,742	16,641	3,101	17.6	14.8	2.8	-1.0		96.8
1933	1,124,000	18,208	16,472	1,736	16.2	14.7	1.5	0.3		94.0
1934	1,126,000	17,305	15,853	1,452	15.4	14.1	1.3	1.4		91.1
1935	1,129,000	17,891	16,864	1,027	15.8	14.9	0.9	0		89.3
1936	1,130,000	18,222	17,594	628	16.1	15.6	0.6	0.3		89.2
1937	1,131,000	18,190	16,614	1,576	16.1	14.7	1.4	0.4		90.7
1938	1,133,000	18,453	16,496	1,957	16.3	14.6	1.7	-6.1		77.5
1939	1,128,000	18,475	17,101	1,374	16.4	15.2	1.2	-29.6		78.8
1940	1,096,000	18,407	19,024	Template:Hyphen617	16.8	17.4	Template:Hyphen0.6	-46.8		83.7
1941	1,044,000	19,574	23,702	Template:Hyphen4,128	18.8	22.7	Template:Hyphen4.0	-21.9
1942	1,017,000	19,242	20,276	Template:Hyphen1,034	18.9	19.9	Template:Hyphen1.0	-9.8		91.8
1943	1,006,000	16,001	18,120	Template:Hyphen2,119	15.9	18.0	Template:Hyphen2.1	-13.8
1944	990,000	15,180	24,700	Template:Hyphen9,520	15.3	24.9	Template:Hyphen9.6	-102.5
1945	879,000	14,968	20,708	Template:Hyphen5,740	17.0	23.6	Template:Hyphen6.5	62.2		124.8
1946	928,000	19,408	19,969	Template:Hyphen561	20.9	21.5	Template:Hyphen0.6	53.4		96.8
1947	977,000	22,721	21,492	1,229	23.3	22.0	1.3	48.9		121.4
1948	1,026,000	21,777	17,549	4,228	21.2	17.1	4.1	42.7		84.2
1949	1,074,000	21,770	16,730	5,040	20.3	15.6	4.7	20.4		82.4
1950	1,101,000	20,279	15,817	4,462	18.4	14.4	4.1	7.7		81.2
1951	1,114,000	20,730	15,354	5,376	18.6	13.7	4.8	6.0		76.2
1952	1,126,000	21,111	15,817	5,294	18.7	14.0	4.7	8.0		64.9
1953	1,138,000	20,146	14,420	5,726	17.7	12.7	5.0	4.7		52.2
1954	1,149,000	20,909	13,981	6,928	18.2	12.2	6.0	3.6		49.5
1955	1,160,000	20,786	13,638	7,148	17.9	11.8	6.2	3.3		51.6
1956	1,171,000	19,660	12,748	6,912	16.8	10.9	5.9	2.6		41.2
1957	1,181,000	19,509	13,026	6,483	16.5	11.0	5.5	3.8		40.1
1958	1,192,000	19,598	12,971	6,627	16.4	10.9	5.6	3.6		39.9
1959	1,203,000	19,938	13,130	6,808	16.5	10.9	5.7	5.1		31.7
1960	1,216,000	20,187	12,738	7,449	16.6	10.5	6.1	4.6	1.95	31.1
1961	1,229,000	20,230	13,036	7,194	16.5	10.6	5.9	5.5	1.97	28.0
1962	1,243,000	19,959	13,495	6,464	16.1	10.9	5.2	6.9	1.95	25.2
1963	1,258,000	19,275	13,251	6,024	15.3	10.5	4.8	9.5	1.91	26.0
1964	1,276,000	19,629	12,754	6,875	15.4	10.0	5.4	6.4	1.94	25.4
1965	1,291,000	18,909	13,520	5,389	14.6	10.5	4.2	5.1	1.90	20.3
1966	1,303,000	18,629	13,800	4,829	14.3	10.6	3.7	4.7	1.85	20.0
1967	1,314,000	18,671	13,699	4,972	14.2	10.4	3.8	6.1	1.86	19.2
1968	1,327,000	19,782	14,225	5,557	14.9	10.7	4.2	9.4	2.03	18.0
1969	1,345,000	20,781	15,150	5,631	15.5	11.3	4.2	7.0	2.11	16.7
1970	1,360,000	21,552	15,186	6,366	15.8	11.2	4.7	7.8	2.16	17.7
1971	1,377,000	22,118	15,038	7,080	16.1	10.9	5.1	6.5	2.19	17.5
1972	1,393,000	21,757	15,520	6,237	15.6	11.1	4.5	4.8	2.14	15.9
1973	1,406,000	21,239	15,573	5,666	15.1	11.1	4.0	4.5	2.07	15.9
1974	1,418,000	21,461	15,393	6,068	15.1	10.9	4.3	3.5	2.07	17.6
1975	1,429,000	21,360	16,572	4,788	14.9	11.6	3.4	4.3	2.04	18.2
1976	1,440,000	21,801	17,351	4,450	15.1	12.0	3.1	3.8	2.06	17.5
1977	1,450,000	21,977	17,094	4,883	15.2	11.8	3.4	3.5	2.06	17.5
1978	1,460,000	21,842	17,812	4,030	15.0	12.2	2.8	2.7	2.02	16.5
1979	1,468,000	21,879	18,062	3,817	14.9	12.3	2.6	3.5	2.01	18.3
1980	1,477,000	22,204	18,199	4,005	15.0	12.3	2.7	4.7	2.02	17.1
1981	1,488,000	22,937	18,349	4,588	15.4	12.3	3.1	3.6	2.07	17.0
1982	1,498,000	23,128	17,893	5,235	15.4	11.9	3.5	3.8	2.08	17.2
1983	1,509,000	24,155	18,190	5,965	16.0	12.1	4.0	2.6	2.16	16.1
1984	1,519,000	24,234	19,086	5,148	16.0	12.6	3.4	3.2	2.17	13.6
1985	1,529,000	23,630	19,343	4,287	15.5	12.7	2.8	4.4	2.12	14.1
1986	1,540,000	24,106	17,986	6,120	15.7	11.7	4.0	3.8	2.17	15.9
1987	1,552,000	25,086	18,279	6,807	16.2	11.8	4.4	2.0	2.26	16.0
1988	1,562,000	25,060	18,551	6,509	16.0	11.9	4.2	-0.4	2.26	12.4
1989	1,568,000	24,318	18,536	5,762	15.5	11.8	3.7	-3.1	2.22	14.8
1990	1,569,000	22,304	19,531	2,778	14.2	12.4	1.8	-6.9	2.05	12.3
1991	1,561,000	19,413	19,715	Template:Hyphen302	12.4	12.6	Template:Hyphen0.2	-17.7	1.80	13.3
1992	1,533,000	18,038	20,126	Template:Hyphen2,088	11.8	13.1	Template:Hyphen1.4	-24.0	1.71	15.7
1993	1,494,000	15,253	21,286	Template:Hyphen6,033	10.2	14.2	Template:Hyphen4.0	-16.7	1.49	15.6
1994	1,463,000	14,176	22,212	Template:Hyphen8,036	9.7	15.2	Template:Hyphen5.5	-12.3	1.42	14.4
1995	1,437,000	13,509	20,828	Template:Hyphen7,319	9.4	14.5	Template:Hyphen5.1	-9.5	1.38	14.9
1996	1,416,000	13,242	19,020	Template:Hyphen5,778	9.4	13.4	Template:Hyphen4.1	-7.2	1.37	10.5
1997	1,400,000	12,577	18,572	Template:Hyphen5,995	9.0	13.3	Template:Hyphen4.3	-5.7	1.32	10.0
1998	1,386,000	12,167	19,445	Template:Hyphen7,278	8.8	14.0	Template:Hyphen5.3	-1.9	1.28	9.4
1999	1,376,000	12,425	18,447	Template:Hyphen6,022	9.0	13.4	Template:Hyphen4.4	19.7	1.32	9.6
20001	1,397,000	13,067	18,403	Template:Hyphen5,336	9.4	13.2	Template:Hyphen3.8	-2.6	1.35	8.4
2001	1,388,000	12,632	18,516	Template:Hyphen5,884	9.1	13.2	Template:Hyphen4.2	-2.3	1.31	8.8
2002	1,379,000	13,001	18,355	Template:Hyphen5,354	9.4	13.3	Template:Hyphen3.9	-1.9	1.36	5.7
2003	1,371,000	13,036	18,152	Template:Hyphen5,116	9.5	13.2	Template:Hyphen3.7	-2.1	1.36	7.0
2004	1,363,000	13,992	17,685	Template:Hyphen3,693	10.3	13.0	Template:Hyphen2.7	-3.2	1.47	6.4
2005	1,355,000	14,350	17,316	Template:Hyphen2,966	10.6	12.8	Template:Hyphen2.2	-3.7	1.52	5.4
2006	1,347,000	14,877	17,316	Template:Hyphen2,439	11.0	12.9	Template:Hyphen1.8	-2.7	1.58	4.4
2007	1,341,000	15,775	17,409	Template:Hyphen1,634	11.8	13.0	Template:Hyphen1.2	-1.8	1.69	5.0
2008	1,337,000	16,028	16,675	Template:Hyphen647	12.0	12.5	Template:Hyphen0.5	-1.0	1.72	5.0
2009	1,335,000	15,763	16,081	Template:Hyphen318	11.8	12.1	Template:Hyphen0.2	-2.0	1.70	3.6
2010	1,332,000	15,825	15,790	35	11.9	11.9	0.0	-3.8	1.72	3.3
2011	1,327,000	14,679	15,244	Template:Hyphen565	11.0	11.4	Template:Hyphen0.4	-2.6	1.61	2.5
2012	1,323,000	14,056	15,450	Template:Hyphen1,394	10.6	11.7	Template:Hyphen1.1	-2.7	1.56	3.6
2013	1,318,000	13,531	15,244	Template:Hyphen1,713	10.3	11.6	Template:Hyphen1.3	-1.7	1.52	2.1
2014	1,314,000	13,551	15,484	Template:Hyphen1,933	10.3	11.8	Template:Hyphen1.5	1.5	1.54	2.7
2015	1,314,000	13,907	15,243	Template:Hyphen1,336	10.6	11.6	Template:Hyphen1.0	2.5	1.58	2.5
2016	1,316,000	14,053	15,392	Template:Hyphen1,339	10.7	11.7	Template:Hyphen1.0	1.8	1.60	2.3
2017	1,317,000	13,784	15,543	Template:Hyphen1,759	10.5	11.8	Template:Hyphen1.3	5.1	1.59	2.3
2018	1,322,000	14,367	15,751	Template:Hyphen1,384	10.9	11.9	Template:Hyphen1.0	4.8	1.67	1.6
2019	1,327,000	14,099	15,401	Template:Hyphen1,302	10.6	11.6	Template:Hyphen1.0	2.5	1.66	1.6
2020	1,329,000	13,209	15,811	Template:Hyphen2,602	9.9	11.9	Template:Hyphen2.0	3.5	1.58	1.4
2021	1,331,000	13,272	18,587	Template:Hyphen5,315	10.0	14.0	Template:Hyphen4.0	17.5	1.61	2.2
2022	1,349,000	11,646	17,315	Template:Hyphen5,669	8.6	12.8	Template:Hyphen4.2	19.8	1.41	2.2
2023	1,370,000	10,949	16,002	Template:Hyphen5,053	8.0	11.7	Template:Hyphen3.7	19.2	1.31	1.7
2024	1,372,000	9,690	15,756	Template:Hyphen6,066	7.1	11.5	Template:Hyphen4.4	5.8	1.18	1.5
2025	1,370,000

According to Statistics Estonia, on 1 January 2025, the population of Estonia stood at 1,369,995. This is 4,692 persons less than at the same time a year ago. There were 9,690 births and 15,756 deaths in Estonia last year. 18,634 persons immigrated to Estonia and 17,260 persons emigrated in 2024 – natural increase was negative (-6,066 people), while net migration was positive (+1,374 people).<ref name=":2" />

Year earlier, 1,374,687 persons lived in Estonia on 1 January 2024.<ref name="2024_0101" /> In 2023, there were 10,949 births and 16,002 deaths in Estonia. Natural increase was negative (-5,053 people), while net migration was positive (+13,856 people). Based on the data on registered migration, 26,399 persons immigrated to Estonia and 12,543 persons emigrated from Estonia. On 1 January 2023 by the data of Statistics Estonia, 1,365,884 persons lived in Estonia,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> at 1 January 2022 lived in Estonia 1,331,796 persons and at 1 January 2021 1,330,068 persons.<ref name="final21">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

¹ Population figures from 2000 on were revised based on the 2011 Estonian census and various registers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Current vital statistics

The data is based on registrations of births and deaths.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="sisemin">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Period	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase
January–April 2024	3,306	5,545	–2,239
January–April 2025	2,934	5,406	–2,472
Difference	Template:Decrease –372 (-11.25%)	Template:DecreasePositive –139 (-2.51%)	Template:Decrease –233

Total fertility rate

Between 1970 and 1990, the total fertility rate (TFR) was little over 2 children born per woman.<ref name="Main demographic indicators">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A fast decrease of the TFR occurred after independence. In 1998 the lowest rate was recorded: 1.28 children born per woman. The TFR slightly recovered in the subsequent years. The TFR was 1.66 in 2008 and 1.52 in 2011.

Infant mortality rate

The infant mortality rate in Estonia has decreased considerably during the past decades. In 1970 the rate was 17.7 per 1,000 live births.<ref name="Main demographic indicators"/> The rate decreased to 17.1 in 1980, 12.3 in 1990 and 8.4 in 2000. The lowest infant mortality rate was recorded in 2011: 2.6.

Life expectancy at birth

File:Life expectancy in Estonia.svg

Development of life expectancy in Estonia

Life expectancy in Estonia is lower than in most Western European countries. During the Soviet era life expectancy in males was between 64 and 66 years and in females between 73 and 75 years.<ref name="Main demographic indicators"/> After the independence, life expectancy decreased for a number of years. In 1994, the lowest life expectancy was recorded: 60.5 years in males and 72.8 in females. After 1994, in 30 years, life expectancy gradually increased to reach 75.1 years in males and 84.4 in females in 2024.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Period	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3" />
1950–1955	61.77
1955–1960	Template:Increase 66.92
1960–1965	Template:Increase 69.38
1965–1970	Template:Increase 70.31
1970–1975	Template:Decrease 70.27
1975–1980	Template:Decrease 69.43
1980–1985	Template:Decrease 69.32
1985–1990	Template:Increase 70.34
1991–1995	Template:Decrease 68.11
1996–2000	Template:Increase 70.17
2001–2005	Template:Increase 71.97
2006–2010	Template:Increase 74.36
2011–2015	Template:Increase 77.00
2016–2020	Template:Increase 78.39
2021–2024	Template:Increase 78.44
2024	Template:Increase 79.46

By data from Statistics Estonia, life expectancy at birth in 2024 was 75.1 years for males and 83.4 years for females, on average for all 79,5 years.<ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1994, the life expectancy of Estonian residents was 66.5 years, whereas by 2024 it had increased by 13 years and reached 79.5 years. 2024 data show than Estonian residents have 58.7 healthy life years at birth. Men live disability-free for 56.8 years and women for 60.6 years.<ref name=":4" />

For comparison, life expectancy in Estonia is still below the European average, which was 81.4 years in 2023.<ref name=":4" />

Ethnic groups

Population of Estonia by ethnic groups 2022-2025 <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ethnic group	2022		2023		2024		2025
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Estonians	919,693	Template:Percentage bar	925,892	Template:Percentage bar	931,993	Template:Percentage bar	934,725	Template:Percentage bar
Russians	315,242	Template:Percentage bar	306,801	Template:Percentage bar	296,268	Template:Percentage bar	285,819	Template:Percentage bar
Ukrainians	27,826	Template:Percentage bar	55,675	Template:Percentage bar	68,770	Template:Percentage bar	73,597	Template:Percentage bar
Belarusians	11,605	Template:Percentage bar	11,562	Template:Percentage bar	11,402	Template:Percentage bar	11,089	Template:Percentage bar
Finns	8,543	Template:Percentage bar	8,518	Template:Percentage bar	8,344	Template:Percentage bar	8,080	Template:Percentage bar
Latvians	3,827	Template:Percentage bar	4,094	Template:Percentage bar	4,232	Template:Percentage bar	4,225	Template:Percentage bar
Germans	2,701	Template:Percentage bar	2,900	Template:Percentage bar	2,923	Template:Percentage bar	2,954	Template:Percentage bar
Lithuanians	2,097	Template:Percentage bar	2,146	Template:Percentage bar	2,146	Template:Percentage bar	2,095	Template:Percentage bar
Tatars	1,938	Template:Percentage bar	1,984	Template:Percentage bar	2,022	Template:Percentage bar	2,023	Template:Percentage bar
Jews	1,852	Template:Percentage bar	1,939	Template:Percentage bar	2,013	Template:Percentage bar	2,012	Template:Percentage bar
Poles	1,845	Template:Percentage bar	1,915	Template:Percentage bar	1,882	Template:Percentage bar	1,883	Template:Percentage bar
Armenians	1,666	Template:Percentage bar	1,755	Template:Percentage bar	1,804	Template:Percentage bar	1,852	Template:Percentage bar
Azerbaijanis	1,546	Template:Percentage bar	1,688	Template:Percentage bar	1,775	Template:Percentage bar	1,837	Template:Percentage bar
Other ethnic nationalities	24,703	Template:Percentage bar	28,237	Template:Percentage bar	30,433	Template:Percentage bar	31,626	Template:Percentage bar
Ethnic nationality unknown	6,712	Template:Percentage bar	10,778	Template:Percentage bar	8,680	Template:Percentage bar	6,178	Template:Percentage bar
Total	1,331,796		1,365,884		1,374,687		1,369,995

File:Share of Estonians.png

Share of ethnic Estonians by Estonian locality

Today, Estonia is an ethnically fairly diverse country, ranking 97th out of 239 countries and territories in 2001 study by Kok Kheng Yeoh.<ref name="TOWARDS AN INDEX OF ETHNIC FRACTIONALIZATION">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2008, thirteen of Estonia's fifteen counties were over 80% ethnic Estonian. The counties with the highest percentage Estonians are Hiiu County (98.4%) and Saare County (98.3%). However, in Harju County (which includes the national capital, Tallinn) and Ida-Viru County, ethnic Estonians make up only 59.6% (55.0% in Tallinn) and 19.7% of the population, respectively. In those two counties, Russians account for 32.4% (36.4% in Tallinn) and 71.2% of the population, respectively. In the nation as a whole, Russians make up 23% of the total population.<ref name="Population by sex, ethnic nationality and county, 1 January">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After gaining independence following World War I a population census was held in 1922 and 1934. At that time Estonians were still the predominant ethnic group, while all others constituted 12% of the population of Estonia.

Major Jewish communities were present in Estonia between 1918 and 1940 in Tallinn, Pärnu, Kilingi-Nõmme, Narva, Tartu, Valga, and Võru.<ref> Template:Cite book</ref>

Population of Estonia by ethnic group 1897–2021

Ethnic group	census 1897<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref>	census 19221		census 19341		census 19592		census 19703		census 19794		census 19895		census 20006		census 2011<ref name="pub.stat.ee">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref>	census 2021<ref name=PSENC2021>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Estonians	867,794	90.6	969,976	87.6	Template:Font color	88.1	892,653	74.6	925,157	68.2	947,812	64.7	963,281	61.5	930,219	67.9	902,547	69.7	919,711	69.1
Russians	37,599	3.9	91,109	8.2	92,656	8.2	240,227	20.1	334,620	24.7	408,778	27.9	474,834	30.3	351,178	25.6	326,235	25.2	315,252	23.6
Ukrainians	504	0.1	—		92	0.0	15,769	1.3	28,086	2.1	36,044	2.5	48,271	3.1	29,012	2.1	22,573	1.7	27,828	2.1
Belarusians	272	0.0	—		—		10,930	0.9	18,732	1.4	23,461	1.6	27,711	1.8	17,241	1.3	12,579	1.0	11,606	0.9
Finns	362	0.0	401	0.0	1,088	0.1	16,699	1.4	18,537	1.4	17,753	1.2	16,622	1.1	11,837	0.9	7,589	0.6	8,543	0.6
Latvians	5,470	0.6	1,966	0.2	5,435	0.5	2,888	0.2	3,286	0.2	3,963	0.3	3,135	0.2	2,330	0.2	1,764	0.1	3,827	0.3
Germans	33,362	3.5	18,319	1.7	16,346	1.5	670	0.1	7,850	0.6	3,944	0.3	3,466	0.2	1,870	0.1	1,544	0.1	2,701	0.2
Lithuanians	44	0.0	436	0.0	253	0.0	1,616	0.1	2,356	0.2	2,379	0.2	2,568	0.2	2,116	0.2	1,727	0.1	2,097	0.2
Tatars	36	0.0	—		166	0.0	1,534	0.1	2,204	0.2	3,195	0.2	4,058	0.3	2,582	0.2	1,993	0.2	1,938	0.1
Jews	3,837	0.4	4,566	0.4	4,434	0.4	5,433	0.5	5,282	0.4	4,954	0.3	4,613	0.3	2,145	0.2	1,973	0.2	1,852	0.1
Poles	1,941	0.2	969	0.1	1,608	0.1	2,256	0.2	2,651	0.2	2,897	0.2	3,008	0.2	2,193	0.2	1,664	0.1	1,845	0.1
Swedes	6,083	0.6	7,850	0.7	7,641	0.7	—		435	0.0	254	0.0	297	0.0	300	0.0	380	0.0	811
Armenians	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		1,428	0.1	1,666	0.1
Azerbaijanis	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		940	0.0	1,546	0.1
French people	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		117	0.0	1,275	0.0
Italians	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		230	0.0	1,181	0.0
Hindus	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		90	0.0	1,165	0.0
Englishmen	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		270	0.0	999	0.0
Georgians	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		490	0.0	946	0.0
Spaniards	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		100	0.0	767	0.0
Turkish people	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		86	0.0	763	0.0
Moldavians	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		511	0.0	730	0.0
Romani people	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		482	0.0	676	0.0
Americans	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		245	0.0	645	0.0
Pakistanis	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		27	0.0	560	0.0
Romanians	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		91	0.0	517	0.0
Arabs	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		80	0.0	489	0.0
Brazilians	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		29	0.0	460	0.0
Chinese	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		90	0.0	427	0.0
Persians	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		23	0.0	426	0.0
Other	1,047	0.1	11,467	1.0	4,266	0.4	6,116	0.5	6,883	0.5	9,042	0.6	13,798	0.9	19,174	1.4	7,538	0.6	18,575	1.4
Total	958,351		1,107,059		1,126,413		1,196,791		1,356,079		1,464,476		1,565,662		1,370,052		1,294,455		1,331,824

As a result of the Soviet occupation from 1944 to 1991 and Soviet policies, the share of ethnic Estonians in the population resident within currently defined boundaries of Estonia dropped to 61.5% in 1989, compared to 88% in 1934.<ref name="Population of Estonia by population censuses"> Template:Cite book</ref> But in the decade following the restoration of independence, large scale emigration by ethnic Russians, as well as ethnic groups of other former Soviet countries, and the removal of the Russian military bases in 1994 caused the proportion of ethnic Estonians in Estonia to increase from 61.5% in 1989 to 68.7% in 2008. In the same period the proportion of ethnic Russians decreased from 30.0% to 25.6%, the proportion of ethnic Ukrainians decreased from 3.1% to 2.1%, and the proportion of ethnic Belarusians decreased from 1.8% to 1.2%.<ref name="Population by sex, ethnic nationality and county, 1 January"/><ref name="Population of Estonia by population censuses"/>

File:Estonia ethnic makeup.png

1897–2011 Estonia ethnic makeup

File:Citizenship of the Estonian population (2010-07-02).png

CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend

In 2008, the largest ethnic groups in Estonia were Estonians 68.7%, Russians 25.6%, Ukrainians 2.1%, Belarusians 1.2%, and Finns 0.8%. These five groups made up 98.4% of Estonia's population.<ref name="Population by sex, ethnic nationality and county, 1 January"/>

The numbers had changed a little by the time of the 2021 census, when they were reported as Estonians 69.1%, Russians 23.6%, Ukrainians 2.1%, Belarusians 0.9%, and Finns 0.6%.<ref name=PSENC2021/>

• Population pyramids of ethnic groups within Estonia
• Estonians population pyramid in Estonia in 2021.svg

  Estonians

• Russian population pyramid in Estonia in 2021.svg

  Russian

Immigration

As the cumulative negative natural growth was about 82,000 during 1991–2010, the remainder of the population decline of Estonia since 1990 (230,000 people in total) was caused by emigration (150,000 people or about 10% of the population of Estonia in 1990). Mainly ethnic Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians emigrated. Consequently, the proportion of these ethnic groups decreased as can be seen in the results of the 2000 census (see below). Data from 2000 to 2009 also shows that the number of emigrants is larger than the number of immigrants, but on a much lower lever than in the 1990s.<ref name="Migration"/>

Estonia migration data, 2014-present

Year	Immigration	Emigration	Net Migration
2014	3,904	4,637	-733
2015	15,413	13,003	2,410
2016	14,822	13,792	1,030
2017	17,616	12,358	5,258
2018	17,547	10,476	7,071
2019	18,172	12,801	5,371
2020	16,209	12,427	3,782
2021	19,524	12,481	7,043
2022	49,414	9,657	39,757
2023	26,399	12,543	13,856
2024	13,826	13,278	548

Foreign-born population by census in 2000, 2011 and 2021

Country of birth	2000<ref name="datast8">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2011<ref name="datast8"/>		2021<ref name="datast8" />
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Template:Flag	184,795	Template:Percentage bar	134,948	Template:Percentage bar	110,161	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	25,185	Template:Percentage bar	21,156	Template:Percentage bar	28,621	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	14,883	Template:Percentage bar	11,593	Template:Percentage bar	10,326	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	4,326	Template:Percentage bar	3,859	Template:Percentage bar	6,375	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	1,381	Template:Percentage bar	2,173	Template:Percentage bar	6,130	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	3,841	Template:Percentage bar	3,710	Template:Percentage bar	3,802	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	978	Template:Percentage bar	1,240	Template:Percentage bar	2,536	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	2,101	Template:Percentage bar	1,816	Template:Percentage bar	2,014	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	1,449	Template:Percentage bar	1,450	Template:Percentage bar	1,828	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	1,586	Template:Percentage bar	1,449	Template:Percentage bar	1,794	Template:Percentage bar
Other countries	16,497	Template:Percentage bar	8,969	Template:Percentage bar	27,678	Template:Percentage bar
Foreign-born total	257,022	Template:Percentage bar	192,363	Template:Percentage bar	201,265	Template:Percentage bar
Template:Flag	1,113,030	Template:Percentage bar	1,102,092	Template:Percentage bar	1,130,559	Template:Percentage bar
Population total	1,370,052	Template:Percentage bar	1,294,455	Template:Percentage bar	1,331,824	Template:Percentage bar

There were a total of 201,265 foreign-born people in Estonia at 31 December 2021, representing 15% of the population. 55% of them were born in Russia, and a total of 82% in a Post-Soviet countries.

In 2022, according to the data on registered migration (from the Population Register), 49,414 persons immigrated to Estonia and 9,657 persons emigrated from Estonia. Net migration was positive, 39,757 persons more staying than leaving Estonia. Both registered immigration and net migration were several times bigger than the average of recent years, due to the arrival of war refugees from Ukraine. Based on citizenship, the largest number of immigrants settling in Estonia had Ukrainian citizenship (33,217).<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":1" />

In 2021, the population of Estonia decreased by 5,315 persons due to negative natural increase and increased by 7,043 persons as a result of positive net migration – 19,524 persons immigrated to Estonia and 12,481 persons emigrated from Estonia (In 2020: 16,209 persons immigrated and 12,427 persons emigrated). The destination countries for migration were Finland, Ukraine and Russia in both directions.<ref name="final21" />

Languages

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:Estonia. Knowledge of languages.png

Total knowledge (native + foreign) of different languages in Estonia, by age group, 2011

File:Population of Estonia and share of Estonians (years 1-2020).png

Population of Estonia and share of Estonians (years 1–2020)

Many languages are spoken in Estonia, including Estonian (official), Võro, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Finnish, German and others. According to the census of 2000, 109 languages were spoken natively in Estonia. By 2011, the number of languages spoken natively had increased to 157, mainly due to new immigrants. However, most of these languages were used only between relatives or compatriots, while only 30 languages were spoken on a daily basis in families.<ref>Mart Rannut. "Keeleaasta 2012." Sirp, 1-24-2013. Template:In lang</ref>

Estonian and Finnish are closely related, belonging to the same Finnic branch of the Uralic language family. The two languages are only partially mutually intelligible, although learning to comprehend and speak each other's languages is fairly easy for native speakers. Estonian and Finnish are only distantly related to the Hungarian language.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Written with the Latin script, Estonian is the language of the Estonian people and the official language of the country. One-third of the standard vocabulary is derived from adding suffixes to root words. The oldest known examples of written Estonian originate in 13th century chronicles. During the Soviet era, the Russian language was imposed in parallel to, and often instead of, Estonian in official use.Template:Citation needed

Population of Estonia by first language

Language	2000 census<ref name="ReferenceA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2011 census<ref name="pub.stat.ee"/>		2021 census <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Estonian	921,817	Template:Percentage bar	887,216	Template:Percentage bar	895,493	Template:Percentage bar
Russian	406,755	Template:Percentage bar	383,118	Template:Percentage bar	379,210	Template:Percentage bar
Ukrainian	12,299	Template:Percentage bar	8,016	Template:Percentage bar	12,431	Template:Percentage bar
Finnish	4,932	Template:Percentage bar	2,621	Template:Percentage bar	4,276	Template:Percentage bar
Belarusian	5,197	Template:Percentage bar	1,664	Template:Percentage bar	1,650	Template:Percentage bar
Latvian	1,389	Template:Percentage bar	999	Template:Percentage bar	2,510	Template:Percentage bar
Lithuanian	1,198	Template:Percentage bar	905	Template:Percentage bar	1,110	Template:Percentage bar
English	248	Template:Percentage bar	878	Template:Percentage bar	3,879	Template:Percentage bar
Tatar	1,251	Template:Percentage bar	806	Template:Percentage bar	645	Template:Percentage bar
Armenian	719	Template:Percentage bar	717	Template:Percentage bar	842	Template:Percentage bar
Azerbaijani	592	Template:Percentage bar	656	Template:Percentage bar	1,118	Template:Percentage bar
German	557	Template:Percentage bar	522	Template:Percentage bar	1,834	Template:Percentage bar
Polish	674	Template:Percentage bar	435	Template:Percentage bar	693	Template:Percentage bar
Other	3,235	Template:Percentage bar	2,891	Template:Percentage bar	17,957	Template:Percentage bar
Unknown	9,189	Template:Percentage bar	1,723	Template:Percentage bar	8,176	Template:Percentage bar
Total	1,370,052		1,294,455		1,331,824

Population of Estonia by command of foreign languages (as not the first language)

Language	2000 census<ref name="ReferenceA"/>		2011 census<ref name="pub.stat.ee"/>		2021 census<ref name="pub.stat.ee"/>
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
English	345,854	Template:Percentage bar	495,420	Template:Percentage bar	622,560	Template:Percentage bar
Russian	578,004	Template:Percentage bar	545,537	Template:Percentage bar	508,060	Template:Percentage bar
Estonian	167,804	Template:Percentage bar	177,286	Template:Percentage bar	223,950	Template:Percentage bar
Finnish	138,354	Template:Percentage bar	167,315	Template:Percentage bar	138,300	Template:Percentage bar
German	140,004	Template:Percentage bar	130,191	Template:Percentage bar	89,650	Template:Percentage bar
French	9,912	Template:Percentage bar	18,677	Template:Percentage bar	18,540	Template:Percentage bar
Swedish	9,345	Template:Percentage bar	13,990	Template:Percentage bar	14,540	Template:Percentage bar
Other	20,385	Template:Percentage bar	39,761	Template:Percentage bar	33,150	Template:Percentage bar

Census data show that in 2021 an estimated 76% of Estonia's population speak a foreign language. While 10 years ago the most widely spoken foreign language in Estonia was Russian, today it is English. Estonian is spoken by 84% of the population: 67% speak it as a mother tongue and 17% as a foreign language.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Religion

Template:Update section{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Pie chart

File:Religious share in Estonia.png

Religious people in Estonia

File:Biggest religion in Estonia.png

Biggest religion in Estonia. Notice the plurality of Orthodoxy in many traditionally Lutheran areas due to the trend towards irreligion among ethnic Estonians.

According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2010,<ref name="Special Eurobarometer 393 ">Biotechnology report 2010 Template:Webarchive p.383</ref> 18% of Estonian residents responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 50% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 29% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force". This, according to the survey, would have made Estonians the most non-religious people in the then 27-member European Union. A survey conducted in 2006–2008 by Gallup showed that 14% of Estonians answered positively to the question: "Is religion an important part of your daily life?", which was the lowest among 143 countries polled.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2000, according to the census, 29.2% of the population considered themselves to be related to any religion, thereof:<ref name="stat.ee-religion">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 13.6% Lutheran Christians
• 12.8% Orthodox Christians
• 6,009 Baptists
• 5,745 Roman Catholics
• 4,254 Jehovah's Witnesses
• 2,648 Pentecostals
• 2,515 Old Believers
• 1,561 Adventists
• 1,455 Methodists
• 1,387 Muslims
• 5,008 followers of other religions

In 2011, according to the census, 29.31% of the population considered themselves to be related to any religion:

• 16.15% Orthodox Christians
• 9.91% Lutheran Christians
• 0.41% Baptists
• 0.41% Roman Catholics
• 0.36% Jehovah's Witnesses
• 0.24% Old Believers
• 0.17% Pentecostals
• 0.14% Muslims
• 0.11% Adventists
• 0.10% Methodists
• 3.25% Other religions

There are also a number of smaller Jewish, and Buddhist groups. The organisation Maavalla Koda (Taaraism) unites adherents of animist traditional religions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Russian neopagan organisation "Vene Rahvausu Kogudus Eestis" is registered in Tartu.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The irrereligiousity of Estonians is a relic of Soviet occupation, but culturally Estonia still belongs to the Lutheran cultural sphere, like most of Northern Europe.Template:Citation needed

See also

• Estonization
• Baltic Germans
• Estonian Swedes
• Russians in Estonia
• Võros
• Aging of Europe