Population by Nationality

Key Facts

• Estonia’s population is 1,341 million people (as of 1.01.2008).
  
  
• More than 100 different nationalities and ethnic groups are represented in Estonia. The largest ethnic groups as of 1.01.2007 are (as % of the total population):
  
  

  Estonians 68.6% Russians 24.9% Ukrainians 2.1% Belarussians 1.2% Finns 0.8% Tatars 0.2% Latvians 0.16% Poles 0.15% Lithuanians 0.15% Jews 0.14% Germans 0.14% Others 0.68%

   

• Altogether about 420 000 people, or 31.4% belong to various ethnic groups other than Estonians.
  
  
• According to the 2000 census, altogether 109 languages are spoken in Estonia. 83.4% of Estonian citizens speak Estonian as their mother tongue, 15.3% - Russian and 1% speak other languages.
  
  
• According to Population Censuses, in 1934 Estonians constituted 88.1% and other nationalities 11.9% of the population; By 1959 the share of Estonians had fallen to 74.6% and in 1989 the corresponding figure was 61.5%.
  
  
• Of Estonian residents 83.6% are Estonian citizens, 7.4% are citizens of other countries and 9% - citizens with undetermined citizenship. The number of Estonian citizens who have become citizens through naturalization process (more then 140 000 persons) exceeds the number of residents of undetermined citizenship (120 000 persons).

Ethnic diversity, cultural diversity

Different nationalities have always lived together in Estonia. Tolerance and democracy are illustrated by the Law on the Cultural Autonomy for National Minorities, passed already in 1925, which was not only the first in Europe at the time but also very progressive.

Before the World War II, Estonia was a relatively homogeneous society – national minorities constituted about 12% of the population. The largest minority groups in 1934 were Russians, Germans, Swedes, Latvians, Jews, Poles, Finns, and Ingrians.

World War II along with Soviet and Nazi occupations interrupted the natural development of inter-ethnic relations, deforming the inner features of Estonian society. By 1989, minorities constituted more than one third of the population, the number of non-Estonians had grown almost 5-fold, while the percentage of ethnic Estonians in the total population decreased by 27 per cent. At the end of the 1980s, Estonians perceived their demographic change as a national catastrophe. This was a result of the outrageous migration policies essential to the Soviet Nationalisation programme aiming to russify Estonia - forceful administrative and military immigration of non-Estonians from the USSR coupled with the mass deportations of Estonians to the USSR. During the purges up to 60 000 Estonians were killed or deported.

The migrant population has been brought predominantly from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and from other regions of the USSR such as Tatarstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia etc.

Minorities other than Russians make up 6.5% of the total population. Unlike the Russians, they did not have the support of the authorities in preserving and practicing their culture and language until Estonia regained independence in 1991.

*Data included in "other nationalities"
Sources: Statistical Office

The beginning of the 1990s brought a rather new situation. For Estonians, the restoration of independence and democracy meant first and foremost the restoration of historical justice. Although, many non-Estonians supported the re-establishment of an independent Estonia, their new psychological situation in the 1990s can best be described as "seeking an identity". Therefore, Estonia’s integration into Europe and the global world is taking place parallel to integration within Estonia, which aims at creating an open multicultural society.

All minorities living in Estonia are guaranteed opportunities for the preservation of their language and cultural distinctiveness, above all through the organisation of education and social activities in their mother tongue. The constitution and the Cultural Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities Act define the legal status and rights of national minorities living in Estonia. Ingrian Finns were the first national minority to establish cultural autonomy in Estonia. The election of the Ingrian-Finnish cultural council was held in 2004.

Estonia is also a state party to the first international convention protecting the rights of the national minorities, enforced in 1998, the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (see the relevant national report). Pursuant to the undertaken commitments the state supports the strivings in the field of culture and education of all national and ethnic minorities. More than 200 of ethnic cultural societies and organisations have been registered to date. They all have an opportunity to get budgetary support, for which purpose 3.1 million EEK (200 thousand euros) have been allocated in 2006.

Estonia is one of the few European Union countries, where there is a multi-lingual publicly financed school system as part of the public educational system. Russian-language education is provided in public and also in private schools at all levels: in preschool, primary and secondary schools, as well as in vocational schools and higher education institutions. About 23% of all Estonian schoolchildren are attending Russian-language primary and secondary schools. 10% of higher education students study in Russian. There is also a public Jewish upper secondary school. In addition, it is possible for those children, whose mother tongue differs from the language of study can apply to study their mother tongue and culture in state or municipal schools if a sufficient number of students are interested. For that purpose the corresponding regulation has been adopted by the state, also the language teachers of different nationalities have been trained.

In Estonia, 34 Russian newspapers and 14 magazines are being published (Source: National Library). Out of the three all-Estonian TV channels, two offer regular programs in Russian. Five radio stations broadcast in Russian. One of them is Radio 4, a radio station in public law offering among others, broadcasts in the Ukrainian, Belorussian, Armenian and Yiddish languages. The Russian language is widely represented in the Internet environment with many state institutions and agencies in offering Russian services, among them also the state Internet centre. A great number of portals exist in Russian and web media publications are also available in Russian.

Non-Estonians participate in the work of almost all Estonian parties. The present Riigikogu consists of the representatives of several ethnic minorities, who have been elected from the lists of different Estonian parties. The latest developments in the Estonian political landscape have shown that multi-ethnic parties prove to be more successful than parties with narrow ethnic self-determination.

Cultural Societies of National Minorities

The public acknowledgement of ethnic minorities in Estonia began in 1988, when non-Estonians started to form their own cultural societies and associations. About 200 of such societies and organisations have been registered to date.

The largest of them are:

• The Estonian Union of National Minorities founded in 1988. It currently unites 24 ethnic cultural societies www.ngonet.ee/nationalminorities.
• International Association of National Cultural Societies of Estonia "Lyra", founded in 1995. It includes 32 different ethnic cultural societies.
• Roundtable of National Cultural Societies of Ida-Virumaa, founded in 1995, uniting 22 ethnic and cultural societies.
• The Union of Slavic Educational and Charity Organisations - first organised in 1988 as the Society of Slavic Cultures. A legal successor of the organisation founded in 1923.
• The Congress of Ukrainians in Estonia, founded in 1989.
• The Association of Turkish and Caucasian Nations in Europe, founded in 2004 www.az.ee

The “Integration in Estonian Society 2008-2013” national programme includes a separate sub-programme that is dedicated to the education and culture of ethnic minorities. The Foundation for the Integration of Non-Estonians supports activities described in the national programme through its competitions: the project competition for national culture societies and the project competition for Sunday schools of national culture societies.

Projects submitted by national culture societies that introduce their culture to Estonians in addition to fostering their own culture receive support every year. Various approaches are selected for introducing their own culture – public events, lectures, exhibitions and seminars take place, broadcasts and information folders are prepared and homepages are created. Estonian society becomes more aware of cultural differences and more tolerant of different cultures through these activities.

The cultural societies support non-Estonians in preserving their national identities as well as in integrating into Estonian society.

More information about national minorities and Estonian multinational society:

Minister of Population Affairs
Non-Estonians Integration Foundation
Presidential Roundtable on National Minorities
State Integration Programme for years 2008 to 2013
Integration of Non-Estonians, The Jaan Tõnisson Institute
Population, Estonian Institute
Information Centre of Finno-Ugric Peoples
Estonian National Culture Foundation
The 2000 Population and Housing Census: census results on the citizenship, nationality, mother tongue and command of foreign languages