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Wages and salaries and labour costs

Area
For work, people receive pay, or wages and salaries, which is agreed compensation for fulfilling work tasks. In addition to the sum that the employer pays to the employee, the employer pays labour taxes on that sum, which together with the wages constitute labour costs. Wages are an important source of income, and their main purpose is to cover expenses on dwelling, food, transportation and other basic needs. This is why the law regulates the minimum an employee could be paid for full-time work. The minimum wage is set to protect the well-being of employees. The statistics on wages and

Exports of services

Area
Export of services takes place when a resident of Estonia sells services to a non-resident, incl. to an economic unit that belongs to the same enterprise group but is located abroad. For export of services, it is not necessary to cross country borders, i.e. services can be provided in Estonia or abroad.

Income

Area
What is the income of Estonian people? Do urban dwellers earn a higher income than the rural population? What is the average income per household member in Estonia? Income is a much broader concept than wages. In addition to wages or salaries, it includes income from business and rental of land and other property, as well as regular payments from other households (e.g. alimony), property income, income tax refunds and social benefits, such as old-age pension, child allowance, etc. In order to get an overview of the income of Estonian people, Statistics Estonia collects data on income

Average wages increased by 5.6% last year

Date 05.03.2026
Article
Krista Vaikmets, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that wage growth slowed down in 2025. “Last year, wages and salaries did not grow as fast as in previous years, but monthly gross wages still increased in all counties. The biggest increase was registered in Valga, Põlva and Rapla counties where gross wages were up by more than 6.5% last year,” she said. Vaikmets added that, in 2025, the average monthly gross wages and salaries were the highest in Harju county (2,336 euros), rising by 5.3% year on year, and in Tartu county (2,112 euros), growing by 5.9% year on year. “Looking at

Average wages and salaries were €2,075 in the third quarter

Date 27.11.2025
Article
“In the third quarter of this year, the percentage change in wages and salaries remained at the same level as in the previous quarter. However, in the third quarter of 2024, wage growth was 8.1%, which means that the year-on-year growth in wages and salaries slowed down,” said Sigrid Saagpakk, analyst at Statistics Estonia. She added that, in the second quarter, employees usually receive more bonuses (such as holiday pay), which is why the average wages and salaries in the third quarter are typically lower than in the second quarter. In the third quarter, the average monthly gross wages and

Estonia’s environmental protection expenditure rose to €821 million

Date 15.12.2025
Article
Environmental protection expenditure accounts reflect the measures and expenditures targeted at the prevention, reduction or elimination of pollution. National expenditure on environmental protection is calculated as a sum of current expenditure and capital expenditure (investments) on environmental protection activities, after deducting transfers from the rest of the world. Grete Luukas, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, stated that nearly half of the environmental protection expenditure in 2023 was made up of expenditures on waste management (€404 million). “ A large contribution to

Revised data: average wages and salaries were €2126 in the second quarter

Date 01.09.2025
Article
In the second quarter of 2025, the average monthly gross wages and salaries were the highest in Tallinn (€2,479), in Harju county (€2,365), and in Tartu county (€2,175). “Compared with the second quarter of last year, the biggest increase in wages and salaries was seen in Põlva county (7.7%) and Rapla county (7%). The smallest wage increase was registered in Ida-Viru county (3.8%),” said Sigrid Saagpakk, analyst at Statistics Estonia. In this year's second quarter, the average monthly gross wages and salaries were the highest in information and communication (€3,704), financial and insurance

Publication of statistics according to EMTAK 2025

Basic page
EMTAK 2025 is the new version of the Estonian Classification of Economic Activities which is in force since 1 January 2025 and has been updated to reflect today’s economic environment and activities. Publication of data based on the new classification begins in 2026. The use of common classifications in the compilation and publication of statistics ensures the comparability of statistical information. Economic activities are classified according to the Estonian Classification of Economic Activities (EMTAK) which has a hierarchical structure with five levels. The first four levels correspond to