Over the past five years, the average age of residents has decreased in 8 of Estonia's 79 municipalities: Kastre, Tartu, Kambja, Tori, Anija, Raasiku, Jõelähtme and Peipsiääre.

"Nationally, the average age has increased by 0.54 years — from 41.98 to 42.52. In most areas, specifically 53 municipalities, aging has occurred at an even faster pace," said Kristjan Erik Loik, lead analyst at Statistics Estonia. In the remaining 18 municipalities, the population has aged more slowly than the national average.

In both 2020 and 2025, Rae Municipality in Harju County had the youngest population, with an average age of 31.8 and 33.3 years, respectively.

"In both cases, Rae was significantly ahead of the next-youngest municipality — by more than two years. In 2020, that was Kiili; in 2025, it's Kambja," Loik noted.

The oldest population in both years was in Loksa, Harju County where the average age rose from 48.8 in 2020 to 51.4 in 2025. "That makes Loksa the only municipality where the average age exceeds 50," Loik added.

Ten local governments larger than average

According to the latest population data, Tallinn remains Estonia's largest municipality with 456,518 residents. The smallest is Ruhnu, home to just 80 people. The average population size among municipalities is 17,342, with Viljandi coming closest at 17,157 residents. Only ten municipalities have populations above the average.

"The median population is 7,819, meaning Kohila Municipality sits right at the midpoint," said Kristjan Erik Loik of Statistics Estonia. Sixty-one municipalities have more than 5,000 residents. Estonia's average population density is 31.5 people per square kilometer, a figure exceeded in 25 municipalities. The lowest density is in Alutaguse, Estonia's second-largest municipality by area after Saaremaa.

Immigration slowed last year, with significantly fewer war refugees arriving compared to the previous two years. At the same time, emigration increased — partly due to refugees returning home.

"Overall, net migration remained positive, but the gain was much smaller than what we've become used to over the past decade," Loik noted. "In 2022, 58 municipalities saw population growth over the previous year. According to 2025 data, only 19 did — the lowest number since the administrative reform," he added. Most of the growth occurred in municipalities in Harju and Tartu counties.

Number of Estonians up by 25,000 over five years

Over the past five years, the number of ethnic Estonians has grown by 25,000 — or 3 percent — reaching 935,000 people or 68 percent of the total population.

"Due to high immigration from Ukraine, however, the proportion of Estonians in the population has dropped by 0.2 percent. The share of ethnic Russians has declined by nearly 4 percent, while the proportion of Ukrainians has nearly tripled and now stands at 5.4 percent," said Kristjan Erik Loik of Statistics Estonia.

Loik explained that population changes are usually driven by two factors: natural increase and migration.

"But when it comes to ethnicity, there's a third factor: individuals can self-identify their ethnicity in the population register," he said. "That's the main reason behind the growth in the number of Estonians and explains why the share of Estonians has increased in many municipalities in Ida-Viru County, where the younger generation increasingly identifies as Estonian," Loik noted.

At the same time, the share of Estonians has declined in traditionally majority-Estonian areas — such as Paide, Rakvere, Keila and Viljandi — due to the recent influx of Ukrainians.

Over half of people identify as Estonian in 72 local governments

In more than half of Estonia's municipalities — 45 in total — ethnic Estonians make up over 90 percent of the population. However, only 28 percent of the country's residents live in these areas. In 72 municipalities, including Tallinn, Estonians comprise more than half of the population; in the capital, the figure is 53 percent.

In seven municipalities — Jõhvi, Loksa, Maardu, Kohtla-Järve, Narva-Jõesuu, Narva and Sillamäe — Estonians make up less than half the population. Yet in all seven, the proportion of Estonians has increased over the past five years.

"Looking at the last five years, the share of Estonians has grown in 20 municipalities and declined in 59," said Kristjan Erik Loik. The highest proportion of Estonians is in Kihnu (99 percent), while the lowest is in Sillamäe (8 percent). The largest increase occurred in Maardu, where the Estonian share rose from 20 to 26 percent. The biggest drop was in Jõelähtme, from 81 to 76 percent.

The proportion of ethnic Russians has increased in 10 municipalities and declined in 69. Narva has the highest share of Russians (83 percent), while the lowest percentages are found on small islands such as Kihnu, Ruhnu and Muhu. In contrast to the Estonian trend, the Russian population share dropped the most in Maardu — from 65 to 53 percent — and increased the most in Jõelähtme, from 13 to 16 percent.

The share of Ukrainians has increased in every municipality, ranging from 0.1 percent to 12 percent. Maardu has the highest proportion (12 percent), while the lowest are again found on Estonia's small islands.

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