Estonia Population
Estonia had an estimated population of 1,366,475 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 157th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.02% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.43% a year.
Estonia at a glance
How Estonia's population is changing
Estonia's population is shrinking: −0.43% a year, which works out to about −5,853 people per year, or −16 a day. Births (7.1 per 1,000) and deaths (11.5 per 1,000) alone would give −0.44% a year; net migration removes about 13,350 people a year (−0.98%). Roughly one in every 6,012 people on Earth lives in Estonia.
Population of Estonia since 1960
In 1960, Estonia had 1,211,537 people. By 2025 that was 1,366,475 — 1.1× larger. The population peaked in 1990 at 1,569,174 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1961 and 1971, when the population rose by 12%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,211,537 | — |
| 1970 | 1,360,076 | +12.3% |
| 1980 | 1,477,219 | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 1,569,174 | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 1,396,985 | −11.0% |
| 2010 | 1,331,475 | −4.7% |
| 2020 | 1,329,522 | −0.1% |
| 2025 | 1,366,475 | +2.8% |
Estonia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Estonia at about 334,136 people in 1800; the UN estimates 1,344,236 in 2025 (4× 1800) and projects 825,509 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 1990 at 1,570,309 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 334,136 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 479,333 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 873,409 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,102,046 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 1,397,001 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 1,344,236 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 1,174,264 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 981,341 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 825,509 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Estonia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 1,366,475. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tallinn | 439,526 | UN urban centre | 32.16% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Tartu | 82,123 | UN urban centre | 6.01% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Narva | 54,409 | GeoNames settlement | 3.98% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Pärnu | 40,228 | GeoNames settlement | 2.94% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Kohtla-Järve | 35,395 | GeoNames settlement | 2.59% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Viljandi | 17,407 | GeoNames settlement | 1.27% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Maardu | 16,630 | GeoNames settlement | 1.22% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Rakvere | 14,984 | GeoNames settlement | 1.10% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Kuressaare | 12,698 | GeoNames settlement | 0.93% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Sillamäe | 12,480 | GeoNames settlement | 0.91% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Estonia compares
Estonia has almost the same population as Trinidad and Tobago (1,367,764).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Estonia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #155 |  Cyprus | 1,370,754 | +0% | compare → |
| #156 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 1,367,764 | +0% | compare → |
| #158 |  Eswatini | 1,256,174 | −8% | compare → |
| #159 |  Mauritius | 1,243,741 | −9% | compare → |
Compare Estonia with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Estonia
Land neighbours (2)
Russia 143,513,328 · 105.0× the population · compare
Latvia 1,847,785 · 1.4× the population · compare
Estonia's 2 neighbours together hold 145,361,113 people — 106.4× Estonia's population. The most populous is Russia (143,513,328).
In its region
Estonia is the 46th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 0.1% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Estonia
Cities
Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, Pärnu, Kohtla-Järve, Viljandi, Maardu, Rakvere — all Estonia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Estonia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.