Education
Nowadays it is possible to change one’s career, acquire a new specialty or broaden one’s general knowledge at any point in life. A person’s education starts early on in kindergarten and continues in basic school. Many people study their whole lives. Adults have more learning opportunities than ever before. In addition to universities, one can study in training centres and participate in short courses. There are more and more e-learning programmes, which also makes international education more widely available.
Education statistics provide information on fields of education, educational institutions, education expenditures, students and graduates. Formal education data are obtained from the Estonian Education Information System (EHIS). Data on adult education are collected using internationally coordinated surveys (the Labour Force Survey, Adult Education Survey, Continuing Vocational Training Survey).
From education statistics, it is possible to find out
- how many different educational institutions there are;
- how many children go to kindergartens and schools;
- what is the education level of people living in Estonia;
- how many foreign students there are;
- how many children and youth participate in hobby education;
- how popular is studying among adults;
- how enterprises contribute to continuing training of employees.
Statistics Estonia publishes education data to be used both in Estonia and internationally. Education statistics and international comparisons of education indicators are a basis for the national education policy. They allow comparing trends in Estonian education policy with those in other countries and using this information for better decision-making.
Persons with higher education, 2026
| Harju county | 251,574 |
|---|---|
| Hiiu county | 2,132 |
| Ida-Viru county | 38,892 |
| Jõgeva county | 5,649 |
| Järva county | 5,960 |
| Lääne county | 4,866 |
| Lääne-Viru county | 13,086 |
| Põlva county | 5,019 |
| Pärnu county | 21,020 |
| Rapla county | 7,231 |
| Saare county | 7,510 |
| Tartu county | 55,108 |
| Valga county | 6,006 |
| Viljandi county | 9,930 |
| Võru county | 7,237 |
Enrolment in formal education by type and level of education, 2016–2025
Unit: thousand
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education levels total | 289.6 | 290.5 | 291.8 | 294.3 | 298.0 | 300.0 | 307.7 | 310.4 | 310.8 | 307.9 |
| General education total | 149.2 | 153.3 | 156.7 | 158.7 | 160.8 | 162.6 | 169.1 | 171.2 | 171.0 | 171.4 |
| ..basic education | 122.9 | 126.4 | 129.3 | 131.1 | 132.1 | 133.0 | 138.3 | 138.3 | 136.2 | 134.6 |
| ..upper secondary general education | 26.2 | 26.9 | 27.3 | 27.6 | 28.8 | 29.6 | 30.8 | 32.9 | 34.9 | 36.8 |
| Vocational education total | 25.1 | 24.1 | 23.4 | 24.0 | 25.5 | 25.9 | 25.5 | 26.3 | 27.6 | 25.1 |
| ..vocational education with no previous education requirement | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| ..vocational education after basic education | 18.0 | 18.2 | 18.3 | 18.6 | 19.7 | 19.8 | 19.7 | 20.2 | 21.1 | 19.8 |
| ..vocational education based on secondary education | 6.0 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.7 |
| Higher education total | 47.8 | 46.2 | 45.8 | 45.2 | 45.3 | 44.6 | 44.1 | 44.6 | 45.5 | 47.5 |
| ..professional higher education | 13.4 | 12.9 | 12.6 | 12.0 | 11.7 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 11.5 | 11.8 |
| ..bachelor's study | 16.8 | 16.1 | 15.8 | 15.7 | 16.0 | 15.8 | 15.9 | 16.5 | 16.9 | 17.7 |
| ..integrated Bachelor's/Master's study | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| ..master's study | 11.6 | 11.5 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 11.8 |
| ..doctoral study | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
Working international students and graduates contributed nearly 23 million euros in taxes in the academic year 2023/2024
According to Statistics Estonia, working international students and international graduates who have stayed to work here after graduation contributed nearly 23 million euros in taxes in Estonia in the academic year 2023/2024. Although the number of international students in Estonia has decreased, their contribution to the Estonian economy has not fallen as much.