Population

A country’s greatest wealth is the people who live there. Knowing who make up the country's population tells us also about its past, present and future. Population includes all people living in the country, including foreign nationals and stateless persons. Population indicators show the breakdown of people living in Estonia by sex, age, nationality and educational level as well as where they come from. In Estonia, it is necessary to make sure that future generations will continue to sustain local life.

The main population indicators are the following:

• population figure as at the beginning of the year;
• natural increase and net migration;
• various rates, e.g.
  • fertility rates;
  • death rates;
  • life expectancy;
  • demographic labour pressure index;
  • dependency ratio.

The following data on Estonian residents are included in population statistics:

• sex;
• age;
• area;
• nationality;
• education;
• citizenship;
• country of birth;
• native origin;
• population projection.

Population statistics help to observe changes in the society and allow the state to make smart decisions. Time series analyses can be used to make projections, such as what will the Estonian population be like in 2050 or 2080. Will the population figure increase or decrease? Will Estonia be a country with an ageing population?