Population and Demographics

Indigenous Estonian-speaking ethnic Estonians constitute nearly 70% of the total population of about 1.3 million people. First and second generation immigrants from various parts of the former Soviet Union (mainly Russia) comprise most of the remaining 30%. The latter, mostly Russian-speaking ethnic minorities, reside predominantly in the capital city (Tallinn) and the industrial urban areas in northeastern Estonia (Ida-Virumaa county). There is also a small group of Finnish descent, mainly from Ingermanland (Ingria). Historically, large parts of Estonia's north-western coast and islands have been populated by an indigenous ethnically Swedish population called 'rannarootslased' ('coastal Swedes'). The majority of Estonia's Swedish population fled to Sweden in 1944, escaping the advancing Soviet Army.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 1,342,409
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 15% (male 101,430/female 95,658)
  • 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 423,664/female 464,813)
  • 65 years and over: 17.5% (male 76,344/female 154,003)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 39.4 years
  • Male: 36 years
  • Female: 42.9 years
• Population Growth Rate: -0.635%
• Birth Rate: 10.17 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 13.3 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: -3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.496 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 0.842 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 7.59 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 6.34 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 72.3 years
  • Male: 66.87 years
  • Female: 78.07 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 1.41 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 1.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 7,800
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Estonian 67.9%
  • Russian 25.6%
  • Ukrainian 2.1%
  • Belarusian 1.3%
  • Finn 0.9%
  • Other 2.2%
• Religions:
  • Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%
  • Orthodox 12.8%
  • Other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%
  • Unaffiliated 34.1%
  • Other and unspecified 32%
  • None 6.1%
• Languages:
  • Estonian (official) 67.3%
  • Russian 29.7%
  • Other 2.3%
  • Unknown 0.7%
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 99.8%
  • Male: 99.8%
  • Female: 99.8%