Estonia

noun:

Estonian(s)

adjective:

Estonian

total:

44.7 years (2023 est.)

male:

41.5 years

female:

47.9 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.55 male(s)/female

total population:

0.89 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

total:

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male:

3.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

3.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

78.1 years (2023 est.)

male:

73.5 years

female:

82.9 years

degree of risk:

intermediate (2020)

vectorborne diseases:

tickborne encephalitis

total:

11.65 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

4.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

1.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

29.7% (2020 est.)

male:

36.3% (2020 est.)

female:

23% (2020 est.)

• air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast;
• however, the amounts of pollutants emitted into the air have fallen dramatically and the pollution load of wastewater at purification plants has decreased substantially due to improved technology and environmental monitoring;
• Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored;
• coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations

urban population:

69.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

-0.03% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

6.35 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

16.59 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.99 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

473,000 tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

117,020 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

24.7% (2015 est.)

municipal:

60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

790 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

4.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Estonia

conventional short form:

Estonia

local long form:

Eesti Vabariik

local short form:

Eesti

former:

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (while occupied by the USSR)

etymology:

the country name may derive from the Aesti, an ancient people who lived along the eastern Baltic Sea in the first centuries A.D.

name:

Tallinn

geographic coordinates:

59 26 N, 24 43 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology:

• the Estonian name is generally believed to be derived from "Taani-linn" (originally meaning "Danish castle", now "Danish town") after a stronghold built in the area by the Danes;
• it could also have come from "tali-linn" ("winter castle" or "winter town") or "talu-linn" ("home castle" or "home town")

• 24 February 1918 (from Soviet Russia);
• 20 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union);
• 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)

• Independence Day, 24 February (1918);
• note - 24 February 1918 was the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood;
• 20 August 1991 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union restoring its statehood

history:

several previous; latest adopted 28 June 1992, entered into force 3 July 1992

amendments:

• proposed by at least one-fifth of Parliament members or by the president of the republic;
• passage requires three readings of the proposed amendment and a simple majority vote in two successive memberships of Parliament;
• passage of amendments to the "General Provisions" and "Amendment of the Constitution" chapters requires at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament to conduct a referendum and majority vote in a referendum;
• amended several times, last in 2015

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Estonia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

• 18 years of age;
• universal;
• age 16 for local elections

chief of state:

President Alar KARIS (since 11 October 2021)

head of government:

Prime Minister Kaja KALLAS (since 26 January 2021)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• if a candidate does not secure two thirds of the votes after 3 rounds of balloting, then an electoral college consisting of Parliament members and local council members elects the president, choosing between the 2 candidates with the highest number of votes;
• if a president is still not elected, the process begins again;
• election last held on 30-31 August 2021 (next to be held in 2026);
• prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament

election results:

2021 : Alar KARIS (independent) elected president; second round of voting in parliament with 72 of 101 votes;

• 2016 : Kersti KALJULAID elected president with 81 of 98 votes in parliament (17 ballots blank) in the sixth round of voting;
• KALJULAID sworn in on 10 October - first female head of state of Estonia

description:

unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open- list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 5 March 2023; next elections 7 March 2027

election results:

• 2023: percent of vote by party - Reform 31.2%, EKRE 16.1%, Center 15.3%, E200 13.3%, SDE 9.3%, Pro Patria 8.2%, Left 2.4%, Right 2.3%, Greens 1.0%;
• seats by party - Reform 37, EKRE 17, Center 16, E200 14, SDE 9, Pro Patria 8;
• composition - men 71, women 30, percent of women 29.7%

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of 19 justices, including the chief justice, and organized into civil, criminal, administrative, and constitutional review chambers)

judge selection and term of office:

• the chief justice is proposed by the president of the republic and appointed by the Riigikogu;
• other justices proposed by the chief justice and appointed by the Riigikogu;
• justices appointed for life

subordinate courts:

circuit (appellate) courts; administrative, county, city, and specialized courts

• Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) or K [Juri RATAS]
• Estonia 200 [Kristina KALLAS]
• Estonian Conservative People's Party (Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond) or EKRE [Martin HELME]
• Estonian Greens (Greens/EFA) [Marko KAASIK & Johanna Maria TOUGU]
• Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) or RE [Kaja KALLAS]
• Pro Patria (Isamaa) [Helir-Valdor SEEDER]
• Social Democratic Party or SDE [Lauri LAANEMETS]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kristjan PRIKK (since 7 July 2021)

chancery:

2131 Massachusetts Ave, NW; Washington, DC, 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 588-0101

FAX:

[1] (202) 588-0108

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://washington.mfa.ee/

consulate(s) general:

New York, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador George P. KENT (since 21 February 2023)

embassy:

Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn

mailing address:

4530 Tallinn Place, Washington DC 20521-4530

telephone:

[372] 668-8100

FAX:

[372] 668-8265

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://ee.usembassy.gov/

• three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white;
• various interpretations are linked to the flag colors;
• blue represents faith, loyalty, and devotion, while also reminiscent of the sky, sea, and lakes of the country;
• black symbolizes the soil of the country and the dark past and suffering endured by the Estonian people;
• white refers to the striving towards enlightenment and virtue, and is the color of birch bark and snow, as well as summer nights illuminated by the midnight sun

name:

"Mu isamaa, mu onn ja room" (My Native Land, My Pride and Joy)

lyrics/music:

Johann Voldemar JANNSEN/Fredrik PACIUS

note: adopted 1920, though banned between 1940 and 1990 under Soviet occupation; the anthem, used in Estonia since 1869, shares the same melody as Finland's but has different lyrics

total World Heritage Sites:

2 (both cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Historic Center (Old Town) of Tallinn ; Struve Geodetic Arc

• advanced service-based EU and OECD economy;
• regional trade and telecommunications leader;
• recently rejected Baltic sea rail tunnel from Tallinn to Helsinki;
• flat income taxation;
• substantial welfare system;
• balanced budget culture;
• business-friendly climate

Fitch rating:

AA- (2018)

Moody's rating:

A1 (2002)

Standard & Poors rating: AA- (2011)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

total:

17.1% (2021 est.)

male:

16.5%

female:

17.8%

on food:

20.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

7.8% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.3%

highest 10%:

25.6% (2015)

production:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption:

3,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports:

3,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production:

21,800 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

27,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

0 barrels (2021 est.)

production:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption:

417.106 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

exports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports:

417.276 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• the competitive telecom market continues to progress with a range of regulatory measures which have enabled alternative operators to chip away at the fixed-line market share;
• fixed-line infrastructure upgrades have been focused on fiber, and the legacy DSL network has gradually been replaced;
• limited commercial 5G deployments have been made though an expansion of service availability awaits the delayed auction of spectrum in the 3.5GHz band, which is expected to be held later in 2021 (2021)

domestic:

22 per 100 for fixed-line subscribership and approximately 149 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2021)

international:

• country code - 372;
• landing points for the EE-S-1, EESF-3, Baltic Sea Submarine Cable, FEC and EESF-2 fiber-optic submarine cables to other Estonia points, Finland, and Sweden;
• 2 international switches are located in Tallinn (2019)

• the publicly owned broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhaaling (ERR), operates 3 TV channels and 5 radio networks;
• growing number of private commercial radio stations broadcasting nationally, regionally, and locally;
• fully transitioned to digital television in 2010;
• national private TV channels expanding service;
• a range of channels are aimed at Russian-speaking viewers;
• in 2016, there were 42 on-demand services available in Estonia, including 19 pay TVOD and SVOD services;
• roughly 85% of households accessed digital television services

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 14

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

31,981 (2018)

total:

58,412 km (2011) (includes urban roads)

paved:

10,427 km (2011) (includes 115 km of expressways)

unpaved:

47,985 km (2011)

Estonian Defense Forces:

Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Estonian Defense League (Reserves)

Ministry of Interior:

Police, Border Guard Board, Internal Security Service (2023)