Where Estonians move
124.2K Estonians live abroad — #146 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Estonia? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 73% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Finland | 55655 |
| Russia | 24906 |
| Ukraine | 10531 |
| Sweden | 9461 |
| Norway | 5273 |
| Australia | 3498 |
| Belarus | 3157 |
| Latvia | 2622 |
| Italy | 1524 |
| Denmark | 1483 |
| Kazakhstan | 1346 |
| Lithuania | 866 |
| Luxembourg | 690 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 545 |
| South Africa | 529 |
| Chile | 385 |
| Iceland | 269 |
| Argentina | 224 |
| Brazil | 210 |
| Hungary | 189 |
| Portugal | 163 |
| Bulgaria | 142 |
| Greece | 138 |
| Georgia | 124 |
| Slovakia | 75 |
| Moldova | 57 |
| Venezuela | 45 |
| Cyprus | 28 |
| Slovenia | 27 |
| Croatia | 16 |
| Bahamas | 16 |
| Azerbaijan | 10 |
| Bolivia | 7 |
| Costa Rica | 4 |
| Liechtenstein | 1 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 94%
117.2K
3.5K
1.9K
891
529
162
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Estonia.
Finland is the primary destination for emigrants
Finland attracts 45% of all emigrants from Estonia, while the second-largest destination receives just 20%.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
6 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg — Norway rose from outside the top 20 to rank #5.
Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990
The top destination's share fell from 59% to 45%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.
A significant share of the population lives abroad
1 in 11 residents of Estonia has emigrated — 124.2K out of 1.4M, representing 9.1% of the population.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 106726 |
| 1995 | 108115 |
| 2000 | 111603 |
| 2005 | 115845 |
| 2010 | 116903 |
| 2015 | 128194 |
| 2020 | 123628 |
| 2024 | 124216 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Finland | Russia | Ukraine | Sweden | Norway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5711 | 62441 | 10585 | 11482 | 23 |
| 1995 | 3285 | 65943 | 11068 | 11213 | 159 |
| 2000 | 6569 | 67055 | 11687 | 10315 | 302 |
| 2005 | 16258 | 63001 | 10678 | 9893 | 626 |
| 2010 | 21761 | 56895 | 10188 | 9981 | 1975 |
| 2015 | 41006 | 43974 | 10222 | 10291 | 5013 |
| 2020 | 47280 | 33399 | 10392 | 9718 | 4742 |
| 2024 | 55655 | 24906 | 10531 | 9461 | 5273 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Estonia as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Estonia