Map of Estonia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: After centuries of Danish Swedish German and Russian rule Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994 Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 formally joined the OECD in late 2010 and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2011.


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Location: Eastern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates: 59 00 N 26 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 45,228 km²
Land: 42,388 km²
Water: 2,840 km²
Note: includes 1520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Rank: 133
Comparative: about twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 657 km
Border countries: (2) Latvia 333 km; Russia 324 km

Coastline: 3,794 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: limits as agreed to by Estonia Finland Latvia Sweden and Russia

Climate: maritime; wet moderate winters cool summers

Terrain: marshy lowlands; flat in the north hilly in the south

Elevation
Mean elevation: 61 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m: highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Natural resources: oil shale peat rare earth elements phosphorite clay limestone sand dolomite arable land: sea mud

Land use
Agricultural land: 22.2%
Forest: 52.1%
Other: 25.7%

Irrigated land: 40 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Geography
Note: the mainland terrain is flat boggy and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1500 islands


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Population
Distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations: 1,258,545 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 159
Growth rate: -0.54% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 228
Below poverty line: 21.6% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Estonian
Adjective: Estonian

Ethnic groups: Estonian 68.7% Russian 24.8% Ukrainian 1.7% Belarusian 1% Finn 0.6% other 1.6% unspecified 1.6% (2011 est.)

Languages: Estonian (official) 68.5% Russian 29.6% Ukrainian 0.6% other 1.2% unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Religions: Lutheran 9.9% Orthodox 16.2% other Christian (including Methodist Seventh-Day Adventist Roman Catholic Pentecostal) 2.2% other 0.9% none 54.1% unspecified 16.7% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.12%
15-24 years: 9.3%
25-54 years: 41.64%
55-64 years: 13.47%
65 years and over: 19.47% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 53.5%
Youth dependency ratio: 24.7%
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.8%
Potential support ratio: 3.5%

Median age
Total: 42.4 years
Male: 39 years
Female: 45.8 years
Rank: 23

Population growth rate: -0.54% (2016 est.)
Rank: 228

Birth rate: 10.3 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 191

Death rate: 12.5 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 21

Net migration rate: -3.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 181

Population distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Urbanization
Urban population: 67.5% of total population
Rate of urbanization: -0.45% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: TALLINN (capital) 391,000 (2015)

Environment
Current issues: air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however the amounts of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen dramatically; the pollution load of wastewater at purification plants has decreased substantially; Estonia has more than 1400 natural and manmade lakes the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations
International agreements party to: Air Pollution Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Sulfur 85 Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.08 male/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male/female
55-64 years: 0.81 male/female
65 years and over: 0.51 male/female
Total population: 0.88 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 26.5 (2013 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.8 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 197

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.7 years
Male: 71.9 years
Female: 81.7 years
Rank: 85

Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 184

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 63.4%
Note: percent of women aged 18-49

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.24 physicians/1000 population (2012)

Hospital bed density: 5.3 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.3% (2013 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 37
People living with hivaids: 8,600 (2013 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 99
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 24.5% (2014)
Rank: 95

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.7% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 52

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.8%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.8%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 17 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 17 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
Conventional short form: Estonia
Local long form: Eesti Vabariik
Local short form: Eesti
Former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology: the country name may be derived from the Aesti an ancient people who lived along the eastern Baltic Sea in the first centuries A.D.

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Tallinn
Geographic coordinates: 59 26 N 24 43 E
Time difference: UTC+2
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 15 counties (maakonnad singular - maakond); Harjumaa (Tallinn) Hiiumaa (Kardla) Ida-Virumaa (Johvi) Jarvamaa (Paide) Jogevamaa (Jogeva) Laanemaa (Haapsalu) Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere) Parnumaa (Parnu) Polvamaa (Polva) Raplamaa (Rapla) Saaremaa (Kuressaare) Tartumaa (Tartu) Valgamaa (Valga) Viljandimaa (Viljandi) Vorumaa (Voru)
Note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses

Dependent areas

Independence: 20 August 1991 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 20 August 1991 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution: several previous; latest adopted 28 June 1992; amended several times last in 2015 (2016)

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Estonia
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Kersti KALJULAID
Head of government: Taavi ROIVAS
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister approved by Parliament
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by Parliament for a 5-year term ; if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after 3 rounds of balloting then an electoral college consisting of Parliament members and local council members elects the president choosing between the 2 candidates with the highest number of votes; election last held on 29-30 August 2016 but three rounds were inconclusive; two electoral college votes on 24 September 2016 were also indecisive so the election passed back to Parliament; on 3 October the Parliament elected Kersti KALJULAID as president; prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament
Election results: Kersti KALJULAID elected president; Parliament vote - Kersti KALJULAID 81 of 98 votes; note - KALJULAID is Estonia's first female president

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu
Elections: last held on 1 March 2015
Election results: percent of vote by party - RE 27.7% K 24.8% SDE 15.2% IRL 13.7% EV 8.7% EKRE 8.1% other 1.8%; seats by party - RE 30 K 27 SDE 15 IRL 14 EV 8 EKRE 7

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court
Judge selection and term of office: the chief justice is proposed by the president of the republic and appointed by the Riigikogu; other justices proposed by the chief justice and appointed by the Riigikogu; justices appointed for life
Subordinate courts: circuit courts; administrative county city and specialized courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Australia Group BA BIS CBSS CD CE EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EMU ESA (cooperating state) EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINUSMA NATO NIB NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNTSO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Eerik MARMEI
In the us chancery: 2,131 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 588-0101
In the us FAX: [1] 588-0108
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James D. MELVILLE Jr.
From the us embassy: Kentmanni 20 15,099 Tallinn
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [372] 668-8,100
From the us FAX: [372] 668-8,134

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top) black and white; various interpretations are linked to the flag colors; blue represents faith loyalty and devotion while also reminiscent of the sky sea and lakes of the country; black symbolizes the soil of the country and the dark past and suffering endured by the Estonian people; white refers to the striving towards enlightenment and virtue and is the color of birch bark and snow as well as summer nights illuminated by the midnight sun

National symbols: barn swallow cornflower; national colors: blue black white

National anthem
Name: 'Mu isamaa mu onn ja room'
Lyrics and music: Johann Voldemar JANNSEN/Fredrik PACIUS
Note: adopted 1920 though banned between 1940 and 1990 under Soviet occupation; the anthem used in Estonia since 1869 shares the same melody as Finland's but has different lyrics

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 115

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 165

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 64

Gross national saving:
Rank: 46

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 50.3%
Government consumption: 19.9%
Investment in fixed capital: 24.2%
Investment in inventories: 1.5%
Exports of goods and services: 79.8%
Imports of goods and services: -75.7%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.5%
Industry: 27.7%
Services: 68.8%

Agriculture products: grain potatoes vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish

Industries: food engineering electronics wood and wood products textiles; information technology telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate: -1.6% (2015 est.)
Rank: 173

Labor force: 683,200 (2015 est.)
Rank: 153
By occupation agriculture: 3.9%
By occupation industry: 28.4%
By occupation services: 67.7%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 70

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 21.6% (2014 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.7%
Highest 10: 27.7%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 89

Budget
Revenues: $9.076 billion
Expenditures: $8.975 billion
Surplus or deficit: 0.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 30

Taxes and other revenues: 40% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 43

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt and includes debt instruments issued by government entities including sub-sectors of central government state government local government and social security funds
Rank: 170

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 57

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 147

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 151

Stock of narrow money:
Note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
Rank: 76

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 96

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 84

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 99

Current account balance:
Rank: 44

Exports:
Rank: 78
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 34% food products and beverages 9% mineral fuels 9% wood and wood products 10% metals 7% furniture 9% vehicles and parts 6% chemicals 5% (2015 est.)
Partners: Sweden 18.8% Finland 16% Latvia 10.4% Russia 6.7% Lithuania 5.9% Germany 5.2% Norway 4.1% (2015)

Imports:
Rank: 89
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 28 % mineral fuels 11% food and food products 10% vehicles 9% chemical products 8% metals 8% (2015 est.)
Partners: Finland 14.5% Germany 11% Lithuania 9% Sweden 8.5% Latvia 8.3% Poland 7.4% Russia 6.1% Netherlands 5.5% China 4.8% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 151

Debt external:
Rank: 92

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 73

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 61

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100%
Production: 12 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 91
Consumption: 8.2 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 101
Exports: 6.484 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 27
Imports: 3.73 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 48
Installed generating capacity: 3.138 million kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 93
Generation sources fossil fuels: 87% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 84
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 86
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 151
Generation sources other renewable sources: 12% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 28

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 129
Crude oil exports: 15,190 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 64
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 185
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 128

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 177
Products consumption: 27,710 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 114
Products exports: 6,954 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 91
Products imports: 32,610 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 96

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2015 est.)
Production rank: 181
Consumption: 530 million m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 96
Exports: 0 m³ (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 93
Imports: 530 million m³ (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 64
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 133

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 5.8 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 123

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 387,607
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 31
Fixed lines rank: 103
Mobile cellular total: 1.904 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 150
Mobile cellular rank: 150

Telephone system
General assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service with a wide range of high-quality voice data and Internet services available
Domestic: substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone TV and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are widely available; schools and libraries are connected to the Internet a large percentage of the population files income tax returns online and online voting - in local and parliamentary elections - has climbed steadily since first introduced in 2005
International: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland Sweden Latvia and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; 2 international switches are located in Tallinn

Broadcast media: the publicly owned broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhaaling (ERR) operates 2 TV channels and 5 radio networks; growing number of private commercial radio stations broadcasting nationally regionally and locally; fully transitioned to digital television in 2010; national private TV channels expanding service; a range of channels are aimed at Russian-speaking viewers; high penetration rate for cable TV services with more than half of Estonian households connected (2008)

Internet
Country code: .ee
Users total: 1.119 million
Users percent of population: 88.4%
Users rank: 122

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 39

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 for compulsory military or governmental service conscript service requirement 8-11 months depending on education; NCOs reserve officers and specialists serve 11 months (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 3
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 14
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 512,388
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 870,362 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: ES (2016)

Airports: 18 (2013)
Rank: 141
With paved runways total: 13
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 5
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3

Heliports: 1 (2012)

Pipelines: gas 868 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 1196 km
Broad gauge: 1196 km 1.520-m and 1.524-m gauge
Note: includes 277 km of private rail
Rank: 85

Roadways
Total: 58,412 km
Paved: 10,427 km
Unpaved: 47,985 km
Rank: 72

Waterways: 335 km (320 km are navigable year round) (2011)
Rank: 90

Merchant marine
Total: 25
By type: cargo 4 chemical tanker 1 passenger/cargo 18 petroleum tanker 2
Foreign owned: 3
Registered in other countries: 63 (2010)
Rank: 89

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Kuivastu Kunda Muuga Parnu Reid Sillamae Tallinn


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Disputes international: Russia and Estonia in May 2005 signed a technical border agreement but Russia in June 2005 recalled its signature after the Estonian parliament added to its domestic ratification act a historical preamble referencing the Soviet occupation and Estonia's pre-war borders under the 1920 Treaty of Tartu; Russia contends that the preamble allows Estonia to make territorial claims on Russia in the future while Estonian officials deny that the preamble has any legal impact on the treaty text; Russia demands better treatment of the Russian-speaking population in Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border Estonia implements strict Schengen border rules with Russia

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 85,301 ; note - following independence in 1991 automatic citizenship was restricted to those who were Estonian citizens prior to the 1940 Soviet occupation and their descendants; thousands of ethnic Russians remained stateless when forced to choose between passing Estonian language and citizenship tests or applying for Russian citizenship; one reason for demurring on Estonian citizenship was to retain the right of visa-free travel to Russia; stateless residents can vote in local elections but not general elections; stateless parents who have been lawful residents of Estonia for at least five years can apply for citizenship for their children before they turn 15 years old

Illicit drugs: growing producer of synthetic drugs; increasingly important transshipment zone for cannabis cocaine opiates and synthetic drugs since joining the European Union and the Schengen Accord; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds; major use of opiates and ecstasy