Estonia

Location

• Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
• the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; over 1,500 islands lie offshore

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Tallinn	394,024	Capital
Tartu	91,407
Narva	54,409
Pärnu	40,228
Nõmme	39,422
Kohtla-Järve	35,395
Viljandi	17,407
Maardu	16,630

Size

• 17,462 square miles
• 45,226 square kilometers
• about twice the size of New Jersey

History

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.

Climate

maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain

marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

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.)

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest adopted 28 June 1992, entered into force 3 July 1992amendment process: proposed by at least one-fifth of Parliament members or by the president of the republic; passage requires three readings of the proposed amendment and a simple majority vote in two successive memberships of Parliament; passage of amendments to the "General Provisions" and "Amendment of the Constitution" chapters requires at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament to conduct a referendum and majority vote in a referendum
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; age 16 for local elections
• Legal System: civil law system
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Alar KARIS (since 11 October 2021)head of government: Prime Minister Kristen MICHAL (since 23 July 2024)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliamentelection/appointment process: president indirectly elected by Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second 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 most votes; if a president is still not elected, the process begins again; prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliamentmost recent election date: 30-31 August 2021election results: 2021: Alar KARIS (independent) elected president; won second round of voting in parliament with 72 of 101 votes2016: Kersti KALJULAID elected president; won sixth round of voting in parliament with 81 of 98 votes (17 ballots blank); KALJULAID sworn in on 10 October 2016 - first female head of state of Estoniaexpected date of next election: 2026
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 19 justices, including the chief justice, and organized into civil, criminal, administrative, and constitutional review chambers)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 lifesubordinate courts: circuit (appellate) courts; administrative, county, city, and specialized courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: The Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 101 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 3/5/2023parties elected and seats per party: Reform Party (37); Conservative People's Party (EKRE) (17); Centre Party (16); Estonia 200 (Eesti 200) (14); Social Democratic Party (9); Pro Patria (Isamaa) (8)percentage of women in chamber: 28.7%expected date of next election: March 2027

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• 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  
• Budget: revenues: $15.784 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $16.721 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: oil shale, peat, rare earth elements, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
• Industries: food, engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textiles; information technology, telecommunications
• Agricultural Products: milk, wheat, barley, rapeseed, peas, oats, potatoes, rye, pork, triticale (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 23.1% (2022 est.)arable land: 16.5% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 6.4% (2022 est.)forest: 57.1% (2022 est.)other: 19.9% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, natural gas, packaged medicine (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Finland 11%, Germany 11%, China 10%, Lithuania 6%, Poland 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: cars, wood, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, prefabricated buildings (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Finland 14%, Latvia 10%, Lithuania 9%, Sweden 7%, Russia 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports