In 2024, the total population of Estonia was 1.37 million people. Between 1993 and 2024, the figure dropped by 130,000 people, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory. The total population is forecast to decline by 10,000 people from 2024 to 2030, fluctuating as it trends downward.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

In 1950, when Estonia's population was estimated at 1.1 million people, approximately 57 percent of the population was female, while 43 percent was male; this equated to a difference of more than 160,000 people. In the past century, as with many former-Soviet states, Estonia has consistently had one of the most disproportionate gender ratios in the world. The reason for this was due to the large number of men who were killed in wars during the first half of the twentieth century, which was particularly high across the Soviet Union, as well as a much higher life expectancy among women. The difference in the number of men and women in Estonia has gradually decreased over the past seven decades, but in 2020, there are still 70,000 more females than males, in a population of 1.3 million people; this equates to total shares of roughly 53 percent and 47 percent of the total population respectively.

Demographics data Estonia 2023 at municipality level - 150 attributes, including age, gender, marital status, employment, education, source of income, and more

The total population in Estonia was estimated at 1.4 million people in 2023, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Estonia Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Historical dataset showing total population for Estonia by year from 1950 to 2025.

Key information about Estonia population

• The Estonia population reached 1.4 million people in Dec 2024, compared with the previously reported figure of 1.4 million people in Dec 2023
• The data reached an all-time high of 1.4 million people in Dec 1999 and a record low of 1.3 million people in Dec 2014

• In the latest reports, Estonia Unemployment Rate dropped to 7.1 % in Sep 2025
• Monthly earnings of the Estonia population was 2,468.7 USD in Sep 2025
• Estonia Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 67.2 % in Sep 2025

In 2020, the median age of the Estonian population was approximately 41.4 years. In 2100, it was expected to exceed 50.7 years. The median age is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population.

Population trends and statistics

Over the course of the long nineteenth century, Estonia's population almost tripled, from 0.33 million in 1800, to over one million at the outbreak of the First World War. Throughout this time, Estonia was a part of the Russian Empire, however Germany then annexed the region during the First World War; when the German army eventually retreated in 1918, Estonian forces prevented Russia from re-taking the area in the Estonian War of Independence, and an independent Estonian Republic was gradually established between 1918 and 1920. Relative to its size and population, Estonia developed into a prosperous and peaceful nation in the interwar period, and Estonian language and culture thrived, although political stability proved difficult for the Baltic state.

Estonia in WWII Estonia's independence was short lived, as the country was then annexed by the Soviet Union as part of the secret Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Germany and the Soviets. The invasion was achieved with little-to-no conflict, as Estonia capitulated when faced with the vastly superior military and navy of the Soviet Union. Annexation became official in June 1940; a puppet, communist government was quickly established, and many military and political rivals were imprisoned or executed under Soviet control. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union the following year, they quickly took control of Estonia, but simply replaced the Soviet Union's rule with their own, and did not grant re-establish sovereignty as many Estonians had expected or hoped for. By the war's end, Estonia suffered approximately 83,000 deaths at the hands of the Soviet Union and Germany, with almost 50,000 of these civilian deaths, and the rest were fatalities of Estonian soldiers who were forced to fight in other nations' armies.

Post-war Estonia Following the war, Estonia remained under Soviet control, and between 1950 and 1990, the population of Estonia grew steadily, from 1.1 million to almost 1.6 million. In the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse, Estonia established a rapid, but peaceful independence in 1991; and the population dropped by roughly ten percent by the end of the century. This was mostly due to non-Estonians returning to their country or region of origin, although a wave of Estonian emigration soon followed. Estonia joined the European Union in 2004, and from 2000 until 2015, Estonia's population continued to fall, reaching just 1.3 million people in 2015. Recent years, however, have seen a reversal in this trend, with limited growth since 2015; although demographers predict that Estonia's population will drop below one million people in the next half-century. The past three decades have marked the longest continuous period in the past 800 years, where the region of Estonia was not under German, Polish, Russian or Scandinavian control.

Complete population data for Estonia showing how many people live in Estonia from 1960 to 2024

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Estonia (POPTOTEEA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about Estonia and population.

Comprehensive demographic dataset for Estonia, Miami, FL, US including population statistics, household income, housing units, education levels, employment data, and transportation with year-over-year changes.

Actual value and historical data chart for Estonia Population Growth Annual Percent

Estonia EE: Population Projection: Mid Year: Growth data was reported at -1.200 % in 2050. This records a decrease from the previous number of -1.170 % for 2049. Estonia EE: Population Projection: Mid Year: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging -0.880 % from Jun 1989 (Median) to 2050, with 62 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.160 % in 1989 and a record low of -3.130 % in 1992. Estonia EE: Population Projection: Mid Year: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Estonia – Table EE.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Population, female (% of total population) in Estonia was reported at 52.45 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Estonia - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Estonia: Rural population, percent of total population: The latest value from 2024 is 29.98 percent, a decline from 30.19 percent in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 38.30 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Estonia from 1960 to 2024 is 32.11 percent. The minimum value, 28.58 percent, was reached in 1989 while the maximum of 42.47 percent was recorded in 1960.

Estonia EE: Population: Growth data was reported at -0.024 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.029 % for 2016. Estonia EE: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.520 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.438 % in 1964 and a record low of -2.574 % in 1993. Estonia EE: Population: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Estonia – Table EE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Monthly and long-term Estonia Population data: historical series and analyst forecasts curated by FocusEconomics.

Estonia Population: IM: Male data was reported at 621,084.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 617,538.000 Person for 2016. Estonia Population: IM: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 621,320.000 Person from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2017, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 653,080.000 Person in 1999 and a record low of 614,389.000 Person in 2014. Estonia Population: IM: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Estonia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Estonia – Table EE.G001: Population.

Estonia EE: Population Projection: Mid Year data was reported at 923,335.000 Person in 2050. This records a decrease from the previous number of 934,322.000 Person for 2049. Estonia EE: Population Projection: Mid Year data is updated yearly, averaging 1,272,439.000 Person from Jun 1950 (Median) to 2050, with 101 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,570,926.000 Person in 1989 and a record low of 923,335.000 Person in 2050. Estonia EE: Population Projection: Mid Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Estonia – Table EE.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.