01
Physical geography
Marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south.
Local timeTallinn ·
Europe / Northern Europe · Card 013
Estonia
Estonia is a country in Northern Europe. Its capital is Tallinn.
Find Estonia
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Tallinn
- Languages
- Estonian
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Population
- 1.4 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 45,227 km²17,462.24 square miles
- Independence
- 1918 / 1991First declared in 1918; restored in 1991.
Estonia in context
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Tallinn; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Languages used in public life include Estonian.
03
Location
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia.
Flag
Three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
History & independence
Estonia declared independence in 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire. Soviet occupation began in 1940, followed by Nazi occupation and renewed Soviet rule. Independence was restored in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
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Estonia declares independence
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Independence is restored
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Estonia joins the EU and NATO
Economy
Main activities
Services, information technology, manufacturing and trade support the economy. Digital public services are well developed. Wood products, electronics and business services are important exports.
Industry and production
food, engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textiles; information technology, telecommunications
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people1.42025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,360,076 | 1.360 |
| 1980 | 1,477,219 | 1.477 |
| 1990 | 1,569,174 | 1.569 |
| 2000 | 1,396,985 | 1.397 |
| 2010 | 1,331,475 | 1.331 |
| 2020 | 1,329,522 | 1.330 |
| 2025 | 1,366,475 | 1.366 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars27.72025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 14,658,008,310 | 14.658 |
| 1991 | 13,485,390,301 | 13.485 |
| 1992 | 10,630,714,503 | 10.631 |
| 1993 | 10,020,459,395 | 10.020 |
| 1994 | 9,855,880,444 | 9.856 |
| 1995 | 10,302,024,947 | 10.302 |
| 1996 | 10,811,255,303 | 10.811 |
| 1997 | 12,222,126,358 | 12.222 |
| 1998 | 12,752,545,573 | 12.753 |
| 1999 | 12,698,344,019 | 12.698 |
| 2000 | 13,979,307,069 | 13.979 |
| 2001 | 14,801,394,596 | 14.801 |
| 2002 | 15,827,575,405 | 15.828 |
| 2003 | 17,029,885,802 | 17.030 |
| 2004 | 18,188,037,435 | 18.188 |
| 2005 | 19,920,094,036 | 19.920 |
| 2006 | 21,864,807,422 | 21.865 |
| 2007 | 23,520,174,236 | 23.520 |
| 2008 | 22,314,692,031 | 22.315 |
| 2009 | 19,050,002,927 | 19.050 |
| 2010 | 19,516,680,413 | 19.517 |
| 2011 | 21,001,309,333 | 21.001 |
| 2012 | 21,772,481,344 | 21.772 |
| 2013 | 22,154,913,628 | 22.155 |
| 2014 | 22,891,074,857 | 22.891 |
| 2015 | 23,311,847,751 | 23.312 |
| 2016 | 24,032,887,680 | 24.033 |
| 2017 | 25,387,062,190 | 25.387 |
| 2018 | 26,326,306,711 | 26.326 |
| 2019 | 27,307,395,871 | 27.307 |
| 2020 | 26,519,903,137 | 26.520 |
| 2021 | 28,709,089,435 | 28.709 |
| 2022 | 28,357,067,289 | 28.357 |
| 2023 | 27,578,887,219 | 27.579 |
| 2024 | 27,554,054,399 | 27.554 |
| 2025 | 27,715,055,072 | 27.715 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.905Very High human developmentRank 36 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.738
20000.793
20100.868
20200.901
20230.905
79.2 yearsLife expectancy at birth
13.6 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
Parliamentary republic. The Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Knowledge check
Three questions about Estonia.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Which city is identified as the capital of Estonia?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.