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.

Key information about Estonia population

• The Estonia population reached 1.4 million people in Dec 2023, compared with the previously reported figure of 1.4 million people in Dec 2022
• 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 5.3 % in Mar 2023
• Monthly earnings of the Estonia population was 2,252.7 USD in Dec 2023
• Estonia Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 66.2 % in Dec 2023

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.

Estonia Population: IM: Male: 25 to 29 Years data was reported at 48,834.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 50,529.000 Person for 2016. Estonia Population: IM: Male: 25 to 29 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 49,190.000 Person from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2017, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 51,769.000 Person in 2015 and a record low of 48,050.000 Person in 2007. Estonia Population: IM: Male: 25 to 29 Years 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.

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.

Estonia Population: IM: Male: 20 to 24 Years data was reported at 34,129.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 36,013.000 Person for 2016. Estonia Population: IM: Male: 20 to 24 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 50,430.000 Person from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2017, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 51,930.000 Person in 2009 and a record low of 34,129.000 Person in 2017. Estonia Population: IM: Male: 20 to 24 Years 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: 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.

Estonia population growth rate for 2023 was 1.58%, a 0.24% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Estonia population growth rate for 2022 was <strong>1.34%</strong>, a <strong>1.23% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Estonia population growth rate for 2021 was <strong>0.11%</strong>, a <strong>0.09% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Estonia population growth rate for 2020 was <strong>0.20%</strong>, a <strong>0.17% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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.

Estonia - Proportion of population aged 15-24 years was 10.40% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estonia - Proportion of population aged 15-24 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, Estonia - Proportion of population aged 15-24 years reached a record high of 13.50% in December of 2010 and a record low of 9.50% in December of 2021.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 15 to 64 Years for Estonia (LFWA64TTEEQ647S) from Q1 2000 to Q4 2024 about Estonia, working-age, 15 to 64 years, and population.

This graph shows the total population of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the years between 1922 and 1935, as well as the total number of males and females. After the First World War the Baltic states began claiming their independence from tsarist Russia, as the events of the Russian Revolution took place. Inter-war Estonia The Estonian War of Independence from 1918 to 1920 led to the country's first period of independence, until it became occupied by the Soviet Union again in 1940 during the Second World War. After Estonia gained independence the country experienced a period of political turmoil, including a failed coup d'etat in 1924, and was hit hard by the Great Depression in 1929 before things became more stable in the mid 1930s. Between 1939 and 1945 Estonia's population was devastated by the Second World War, with some estimates claiming that as many as 7.3 percent of all civilians perished as a result of the conflict. From the graph we can see the population grew by 119 thousand people during the 12 years shown, growing from 1.107 million to 1.126 million. The number of women was also higher than the number of men during this time, by 67 thousand in 1922 and 68 thousand in 1934. Inter-war Latvia For Latvia, Independence was a hard-won struggle that had devastated the population in the late 1910s. Similarly to Estonia, the advent of independence brought many challenges to Latvia, and a period of political and economic turmoil followed, which was exacerbated by the Great Depression in 1929. After economic recovery began in 1933, and a coup d'etat established stricter control in 1934, the Latvian economy and political landscape became more stable and the quality of life improved. This lasted until the Second World War, where Latvia became one of the staging grounds of Germany's war against Soviet Russia, and approximately 12.5 percent of all civilians died. From the data we can see that Latvia's population between 1925 and 1935 grew steadily by 95,000 in this decade, with the number of men and women growing at a similar rate. Inter-war Lithuania Lithuania's experience in the interwar period was slightly different to that of Latvia and Estonia. The end of the First World War led to a growing movement for independence from German, Russian or Polish influence, however these countries were reluctant to cede control to one another, and independence was finally achieved in 1922. A right wing dictatorship was established in 1926, which maintained political and civil control until the outbreak of the Second World War, however interference from other nations, particularly Germany, was ever-present in Lithuanian economic activity. From the graph we have only one set of figures, showing that the Lithuanian population was just over 2 million in 1929, with approximately 5 percent more women than men. World War II again devastated Lithuania's population, with almost 14.4 percent of the entire population falling during the conflict.

Estonia - Proportion of population aged 65-79 years was 14.70% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estonia - Proportion of population aged 65-79 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, Estonia - Proportion of population aged 65-79 years reached a record high of 14.70% in December of 2024 and a record low of 13.10% in December of 2011.

Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) in Estonia was reported at 15.97 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Estonia - Population ages 0-14 (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Estonia Population: IM: 15 to 19 Years data was reported at 60,173.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 59,546.000 Person for 2016. Estonia Population: IM: 15 to 19 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 87,180.000 Person from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2017, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 102,720.000 Person in 2003 and a record low of 59,546.000 Person in 2016. Estonia Population: IM: 15 to 19 Years 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.

Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) in Estonia was reported at 5.3054 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Estonia - Population ages 0-4, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Estonia - Proportion of population aged 50-64 years was 19.20% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estonia - Proportion of population aged 50-64 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, Estonia - Proportion of population aged 50-64 years reached a record high of 20.00% in December of 2014 and a record low of 19.20% in December of 2024.

Population growth (annual %) in Estonia was reported at 1.5774 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Estonia - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

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.

This dataset contains two data tables on number of population in counties in Estonia in 1919-1939. The data table LiDA_HistatData_0246_Data_0001_5v is computed by interpolating and extrapolating data published in Estonian statistical publications. The method of interpolation and extrapolation was used because the full data on the population of Estonia by county in statistical publications are available only from the Estonian population censuses conducted in 1922-12-28 and 1934-03-01. The data table LiDA_HistatData_0246_Data_0002_v4 of the mid-year population data is computed by interpolated and extrapolated population data (for a more detailed description, see metadata Social Science and Humanities Metadata field Notes below). Mid-year population data is arithmetic mean of the population of two consecutive years (data of beginning or end of the year). The aim of such an computation was to have standardized data for the mid-year population data. Dataset "Number of Population in Counties in Estonia, 1919-1939" was published implementing project "Historical Sociology of Modern Restorations: a Cross-Time Comparative Study of Post-Communist Transformation in the Baltic States" from 2018 to 2022. Project leader is prof. Zenonas Norkus. Project is funded by the European Social Fund according to the activity "Improvement of researchers' qualification by implementing world-class R&D projects' of Measure No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712".

The data in the dataset come from the Estonian Statistical Database. Grid-based population data are updated once a year. Census data are georeferenced to building accuracy, which allows data to be aggregated to grid level of different resolution. The building's centroid was used as the basis for aggregating into squares. The data of several buildings within the square were linked to the square where the building's centroid was located. If the population data could not be linked to the building (the data were linked to the building by address and in some cases the address was not identifiable), the data were added in the middle of the village or census station. Counted homeless people are also associated with the village or precinct centre.

The 1 km x 1 km square map of the population covers the whole territory of Estonia, including only inhabited squares. Grid-based data serve as a basis for making competent decisions in the preparation of social plans and development plans, including regional development plans. Grid-based data are used in scientific research, in the private sector mainly to select the best location and to define the target group.