Who moves to Estonia
203K people have chosen Estonia for relocation — #110 most popular destination worldwide
Considering a move to Estonia? — See where people come from, regional patterns, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where immigrants come from
The top 3 countries account for 77% of all immigrants
| Country | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| Russia | 121354 |
| Ukraine | 24628 |
| Belarus | 10721 |
| Latvia | 6143 |
| Finland | 6040 |
| Kazakhstan | 3825 |
| Germany | 2554 |
| Lithuania | 2210 |
| Georgia | 1804 |
| Azerbaijan | 1656 |
| United Kingdom | 1322 |
| Italy | 1275 |
| United States | 1203 |
| Moldova | 1146 |
| Uzbekistan | 1117 |
| France | 978 |
| Sweden | 970 |
| Armenia | 760 |
| Poland | 758 |
| Spain | 744 |
| India | 725 |
| Nigeria | 611 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 555 |
| China | 504 |
| Türkiye | 477 |
| Norway | 467 |
| Tajikistan | 380 |
| Netherlands | 348 |
| Bulgaria | 342 |
| Turkmenistan | 338 |
| Ireland | 336 |
| Romania | 312 |
| Czechia | 308 |
| Belgium | 278 |
| Bangladesh | 268 |
| Pakistan | 266 |
| Hungary | 251 |
| Brazil | 249 |
| Portugal | 240 |
| Denmark | 229 |
| Australia | 225 |
| Iran | 220 |
| Canada | 213 |
| Austria | 200 |
| Slovakia | 180 |
| Syria | 177 |
| Greece | 174 |
| Egypt | 164 |
| Japan | 163 |
| Nepal | 148 |
| Switzerland | 139 |
| Mexico | 134 |
| Thailand | 111 |
| Philippines | 108 |
| Israel | 104 |
| South Korea | 101 |
| Cameroon | 82 |
| Afghanistan | 66 |
| Iraq | 64 |
| Sri Lanka | 63 |
| South Africa | 60 |
| Ghana | 60 |
| Colombia | 58 |
| Argentina | 55 |
| Vietnam | 54 |
| Serbia | 53 |
| Cyprus | 48 |
| Croatia | 48 |
| Mongolia | 47 |
| Venezuela | 47 |
| Iceland | 43 |
| Lebanon | 42 |
| Albania | 42 |
| Indonesia | 41 |
| Slovenia | 41 |
| Peru | 40 |
| Morocco | 38 |
| Algeria | 33 |
| United Arab Emirates | 33 |
| Cuba | 33 |
| New Zealand | 30 |
| Jordan | 29 |
| Luxembourg | 29 |
| Chile | 29 |
| Sudan | 26 |
| Tunisia | 26 |
| Ecuador | 24 |
| Kenya | 22 |
| Yemen | 19 |
| North Macedonia | 19 |
| Singapore | 18 |
| Saudi Arabia | 18 |
| Malaysia | 17 |
| Ethiopia | 14 |
| Malta | 14 |
| DR Congo | 12 |
| Kuwait | 12 |
| Costa Rica | 12 |
| Honduras | 12 |
| Palestine | 11 |
| Mauritius | 10 |
| Zimbabwe | 10 |
| Guatemala | 10 |
| Uganda | 9 |
| Libya | 9 |
| Sierra Leone | 8 |
| Montenegro | 8 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 7 |
| Panama | 7 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 6 |
| Cambodia | 6 |
| Uruguay | 6 |
| Tanzania | 5 |
| Republic of Congo | 5 |
| Dominican Republic | 5 |
| Bolivia | 5 |
| Rwanda | 4 |
| Namibia | 4 |
| Qatar | 4 |
| El Salvador | 4 |
| Somalia | 3 |
| Zambia | 3 |
| Angola | 3 |
| Senegal | 3 |
| North Korea | 3 |
| Bhutan | 3 |
| Oman | 3 |
| Jamaica | 3 |
| Nicaragua | 3 |
| Mozambique | 2 |
| Gambia | 2 |
| Togo | 2 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 2 |
| Guyana | 2 |
| Suriname | 2 |
| Madagascar | 1 |
| Benin | 1 |
| Guinea | 1 |
| Mauritania | 1 |
| Myanmar | 1 |
| Andorra | 1 |
| Barbados | 1 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 |
| Malawi | 0 |
| Reunion | 0 |
| Central African Republic | 0 |
| Cape Verde | 0 |
| Hong Kong | 0 |
| Bahrain | 0 |
| Faroe Islands | 0 |
| Gibraltar | 0 |
| Vatican City | 0 |
| Liechtenstein | 0 |
| Monaco | 0 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0 |
| Belize | 0 |
| Falkland Islands | 0 |
| Paraguay | 0 |
| Fiji | 0 |
| Kiribati | 0 |
| Tonga | 0 |
By region of origin
Europe is the leading region of origin at 91%
184.9K
9.1K
5.3K
1.4K
1.2K
750
256
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about immigration in Estonia.
Russia is the leading source of immigration by a wide margin
Russia accounts for 60% of all immigrants, far ahead of the second-largest source at just 12%.
Immigration sources have diversified since 1990
The top source country's share fell from 74% to 60%, indicating a broader spread of origins.
Top source countries have shifted significantly since 1990
4 new countries have entered the top 20: United Kingdom, Italy, France — United Kingdom rose from outside the top 20 to rank #11.
A significant share of residents were born abroad
1 in 7 residents of Estonia is foreign-born — 203K out of 1.4M, representing 14.8% of the population.
How immigration changed over time
Total immigrant population by year
| Year | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 381355 |
| 1995 | 315177 |
| 2000 | 248999 |
| 2005 | 233186 |
| 2010 | 217814 |
| 2015 | 194645 |
| 2020 | 199250 |
| 2024 | 203018 |
Top sources over time
Immigration from the 5 largest source countries
| Year | Russia | Ukraine | Belarus | Latvia | Finland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 283457 | 43063 | 23870 | 6102 | 651 |
| 1995 | 236214 | 33755 | 19313 | 5196 | 1010 |
| 2000 | 188970 | 24457 | 14756 | 4289 | 1369 |
| 2005 | 172571 | 24004 | 13834 | 4292 | 1891 |
| 2010 | 154721 | 23350 | 12796 | 4259 | 2398 |
| 2015 | 129187 | 21770 | 11119 | 4703 | 3870 |
| 2020 | 119097 | 24170 | 10521 | 6029 | 5928 |
| 2024 | 121354 | 24628 | 10721 | 6143 | 6040 |
Fastest-changing origins
How immigration from each country has changed since the selected year
Estonia as a destination, by diaspora
Share of each country's emigrants who settled in Estonia