The population of Ida-Viru County has been in decline for decades, with the largest losses occurring in the county's major cities. For example, Narva's population decreases by about 1,000 people each year. The reasons are long known: Narva has a low birth rate and high mortality rate and younger, more active residents tend to migrate to more attractive urban centers.

Currently, Narva is home to 52,000 residents, but that number is expected to drop to 45,000 within the next couple of decades. When the population will stabilize remains uncertain. There was once hope that immigration could offset the decline, but the war in Ukraine has put an end to those expectations.

"Over three years ago, we talked about Narva becoming a sort of Singapore for new arrivals – a place where people could start their lives in Europe, attracting residents from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia," said Narva Mayor Katri Raik (SDE). "Now we understand that this is not a realistic plan."

"I am placing my hopes on younger people who want to stay in Narva. I hope that some of them will return. But most of all, I hope that people regain some faith in Narva's future. Right now, it seems that hope has been lost, and that's not good," Raik added.

Narva's population shrank by 800 people over the past year.

In Kohtla-Järve, the population fell by more than 400 residents last year. Mayor Henri Kaselo noted that without the presence of university colleges and additional pay incentives for teachers and police officers, the decline would have been even steeper.

"The pace of the decline is slowing and we can't say that the state has done nothing. The resources from the Just Transition Fund, which have been directed here, are already starting to have an impact. Over the next year and a half to two years, Kohtla-Järve alone will see the creation of around 500 new jobs and that will certainly help. I believe that our population will no longer decrease drastically and maybe one day we'll even see growth," Kaselo said.

Currently, Ida-Viru County has 128,000 residents – 35,000 fewer than it did 15 years ago.