Population and Demographics of Estonia
Population declining at 0.49% in 2024 · 21.3% aged 65 or older
The current population picture in Estonia starts with 1.36 million people and -0.49% annual change, while the youngest and oldest broad age groups account for 15.64% and 21.30%. That context matters for the outlook: the 2050 medium projection is 1.17 million, 13.7% lower than in 2024.
Population Over Time in Estonia
The 2000 to 2024 record shows Estonia moving from 1.397M people to 1.361M, a 2.6% decrease. By 2050, the medium path reaches 1.174M, which would make the population smaller than in 2024. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The balance between children, working-age adults and older residents gives Estonia a older age profile. People aged 65 or older account for 21.30% of the population, versus 15.64% under age 15; 63.06% are 15 to 64. Older adults outnumber children in these broad age bands.
Population by broad age group
In the World Bank 2024 series, females account for 52.5% of Estonia's population and males 47.5%. Females exceed males by 5.0 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 52.5% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 47.5% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Two current indicators frame Estonia: -0.49% annual population change and fertility at 1.4, alongside a 15.64% child share and 21.30% older-adult share.
Estonia's population path over 2000 to 2024 records -2.6% change, followed by -13.7% projected change from 2024 to 2050; the figures describe direction, not a causal split between migration and natural change.
2024 estimate for Estonia. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Estonia vs. World
Relative to the 2024 world benchmarks, Estonia's population change is lower than the global rate, its fertility is below the global level, and its population is older than the corresponding global median-age profile.
| Indicator | Estonia | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | -0.49% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.4 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 42 | 30.6 | 2024 |
This comparison avoids mixed-year arithmetic by keeping Estonia and the world on the same 2024 harmonized demographic table.
Key Takeaways
Estonia has 1,360,546 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing -0.49% over the year.
The 2024 age structure is 15.64% under 15, 63.06% aged 15 to 64 and 21.30% aged 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 52.5% and 47.5% respectively.
By 2050, the medium projection is 1.174M, differing from 2024 by roughly 0.19 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Estonia?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Estonia is 1,360,546 people.
Is the population of Estonia growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Estonia's population is declining, with annual change of -0.49%.
What percentage of the population of Estonia is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 21.30% of Estonia's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Estonia in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Estonia's 2050 population at 1,174,267.
What is the fertility rate in Estonia?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Estonia is 1.4 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.