1,360,745 people: Estonia’s population declined for the second year in a row
According to Statistics Estonia, on 1 January 2026, the population of Estonia stood at 1,360,745. This is 9,250 persons fewer than at the same time the year before. Estonia’s population decreased for the second year in a row. There were 9,240 births and 15,688 deaths last year. 15,212 persons immigrated to Estonia and 18,014 persons emigrated.
Kadri Rootalu, the Population and Education Statistics Service Manager at Statistics Estonia, said that two thirds of the population decline can be attributed to negative natural increase, and one third resulted from net migration which turned negative. “In recent years, net migration had boosted the population figure and helped to offset the negative natural increase. However, in 2025, net migration turned negative after more than ten years, as emigration from Estonia exceeded immigration by 2,802,” said Rootalu. She added that the decrease in population due to negative natural increase was 6,448.
