Estonia — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Estonia: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Estonia is in Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia. It covers 45,228 sq km. 20 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union). Terrain: marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south. Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers.
| Capital | Tallinn |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,340,478 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $57.001 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $41,500 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -0.3% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 3.5% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 7.9% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 28.3% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Exports | $32.637 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $32.375 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 78.4 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 42.9 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 69.8% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary republic |
| Independence | 24 February 1918 (from Soviet Russia); 20 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union) |
| Languages | Estonian (official) 67.2%, Russian 28.5%, other 3.7%, unspecified 0.6% (2021est.) |
Estonia’s GDP is $57.001 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $42.765 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew -0.3% (2024 est.). See where Estonia ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
An uneventful quarter, recorded without embellishment: no breakthrough to celebrate, no setback to mourn.
The longer forces — demographics, trade routes, regional balances — kept doing what they do, and the country rode them steadily.
- What our model rewards: public debt under 28% of GDP — room to maneuver; inflation tamed at 3.5%
- What drags it down: fertility of 1.4 children per woman — below replacement, the cradle is emptying
Rare earths.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 52.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 9.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 10.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 73.679 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 55.8 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 6.1 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 40,988 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Oil 43.0%, Wind 19.1%, Solar 15.5%, Hydro 0.3%, Gas 0.3% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 56.7% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 341.0 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $32.637 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $32.375 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $262.0 million (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | food, engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textiles; information technology, telecommunications |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Kristen Michal — Prime Minister. President Alar KARIS (since 11 October 2021)
Estonia maintains 38 embassies and 2 consulates abroad, hosts 37 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 38 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 2 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 37 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg |
Source: Abroad: Lowy GDI 2024 via Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions . Hosted: Consular Affairs Center in-country ranking, Jan 2026 (Tallinn 37). Multilateral rosters as for AUT.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 3794 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 34 + 10 heliports (registration prefix ES) |
| Major seaports | Muuga - Port of Tallin, Paldiski Lounasadam, Paljassaare, Sillamae, Vanasadam - Port of Tallinn |
| Railways | 1441 km |
| Pipelines | 2,360 km gas (2016) |
Major airports
Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport (TLL) — Tallinn; Kuressaare Airport (URE) — Kuressaare; Kärdla Airport (KDL) — Kärdla; Pärnu Airport (EPU) — Pärnu; Tartu Airport (TAY) — Tartu.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | parliamentary republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Estonia.
Historical timeline of Estonia
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Estonia — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Estonia's power score?
Estonia has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.