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At the end of the year, on 28 December, the Population and Housing Census, conducted every ten years, starts in Estonia. Everyone living in Estonia is invited to complete an online questionnaire for the census by 22 January 2022. In February, census takers will call or visit the people for whom filling in the questionnaire is mandatory.

Today, on 25 February, the Statistical Council held a meeting where they reviewed last year’s results and commended the production of official statistics, but the Council also acknowledged that the statistical system continues to be underfunded. The Council was briefed on the methodology approved by Statistics Estonia for the Population and Housing Census: namely, a register-based census, which is in accordance with EU regulations, combined with a sample survey to collect data on characteristics not covered by registers.

In the coming months, the population census continues with the collection and analysis of register data. The first dataset on population composition will be published at the beginning of June.

Urmet Lee, who became the Director General of Statistics Estonia at the beginning of August, assures that we are ready for the big e-census of Estonia. We asked him to explain what is going to be different this time and why everyone should participate in the population census.

According to Statistics Estonia, 22.5% of Estonia’s population lived at risk of poverty and 3.5% in absolute poverty in 2022. Compared with 2021, the share of people living at risk of poverty decreased by 0.3 percentage points and the share of people living in absolute poverty increased by 2.1 percentage points.

Statistics Estonia has approved the questionnaire for the sample survey of the Population and Housing Census beginning at the end of this year. The final additions were questions about nationality, mother tongue and immigration.

According to Statistics Estonia, in 2021, life expectancy at birth was 77.2 years in Estonia. Male life expectancy was 72.8 years and female life expectancy was 81.4 years. Life expectancy has decreased for both men and women. Men can expect to live disability-free for 54.9 years and women for 58 years.

From today until 22 January 2022, the e-questionnaire for the Population and Housing Census is open. Everyone living in Estonia is welcome to respond to the e-census. Only people who are included in the survey sample may expect a phone call or visit from a census taker if they have not filled in the e-questionnaire.

According to preliminary data of Statistics Estonia, the population of Estonia on 1 January 2023 was 1,357,739, an increase by 2% (or 25,943 people) compared with a year earlier. Ene-Margit Tiit, an expert in population statistics, took a closer look at how many ethnic Estonians live here and how many Estonians there are in the world.