Overview
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 and many other countries -- 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 2004, formally joined the OECD in 2010, and adopted the euro as its official currency in 2011.
Geography
- Location
- Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
- Total Area
- 45,228 sq km
- Climate
- maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers
- Terrain
- marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
- Natural Resources
- oil shale, peat, rare earth elements, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
- Coastline
- 3,794 km
- Land Borders
- 657 km
People & Society
- Population
- 1,340,478 (2025 est.)
- Languages
- Estonian (official) 67.2%, Russian 28.5%, other 3.7%, unspecified 0.6% (2021est.)
- Religions
- Orthodox 16.5%, Protestant 9.2% (Lutheran 7.7%, other Protestant 1.5%), other 3% (includes Roman Catholic, Muslim, Jehovah's Witness, Pentecostal, Buddhist, and Taara Believer), none 58.4%, unspecified 12.9% (2021 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Estonian 69.1%, Russian 23.7%, Ukrainian 2.1%, other 4.6%, unspecified 0.5% (2021 est.)
- Life Expectancy
- 78.4 years (2024 est.)
- Urbanization
- 69.8% of total population (2023)
Government
- Government Type
- parliamentary republic
- Capital
- Tallinn
- Independence
- 24 February 1918 (from Soviet Russia); 20 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)
- Constitution
- several previous; latest adopted 28 June 1992, entered into force 3 July 1992
- Legal System
- civil law system
- Executive Branch
- President Alar KARIS (since 11 October 2021)
Economy
- Economic Overview
- high-income, service-based EU and eurozone economy; rebound in exports playing a role in economic recovery; rising food prices contributing to inflation; decrease in labor force participation and rising unemployment rate; recovery depends on boosting private investment and productivity rates
- GDP (Official Rate)
- $42.765 billion (2024 est.)
- Major Industries
- food, engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textiles; information technology, telecommunications
Infrastructure & Communications
- Railways
- 1,441 km (2020) 225 km electrified