As of last year, there were over 10,000 unemployed 16–26-year-olds in Estonia, a figure significantly up on the 4,000 posted eight years ago.

The number of unemployed 16–26-year-olds stood at 3,998 in 2017, but had risen to 9,373 in 2023 and 10,199 as of last year.

Regional breakdown

In Harju County, which includes Tallinn and is the most populous part of the country, there were 4,231 young people registered unemployed, three-quarters of whom were in the capital. Harju County's population is a little over 638,000.

The figure for Ida-Viru County, population around 133,000, was 1,485, while there were 1,203 young unemployed people in Tartu County, population around 158,000.

In all other counties, the number of unemployed in this age group was below 300, for in the more sparsely populated Lääne-Viru County, with fewer than 60,000 people, youth unemployment stood at 469.

Educational background

In Harju County, 1,398 unemployed young people had the mandatory basic education or lower, nearly a fourfold rise on the 335 posted in 2017. This sharp rise highlights a growing issue for young people with lower education levels in finding employment.

In other counties, the changes for youth unemployment among those with basic education were less drastic. For example, in Ida-Viru County, unemployment doubled from 234 young people in 2017 to 496 last year. In Tartu County, the respective figures were 196 and 433.

With unemployed young people who have a full secondary education, the figure was 2,275 in Harju County, 911 in Ida-Viru County, 637 in Tartu County, and 223 in Lääne-Viru County.

For those with tertiary (ie. university) education, unemployment stood at 544 in Harju County, 133 in Tartu County, and 76 in Ida-Viru County, with even lower figures for other counties.

Dropout rates also contribute to this issue, with 0.3 percent of students dropping out of basic education and 5.5 percent from secondary education last year.

Dropout rates are highest in Central Estonia (at 7.3 percent) and Northeastern Estonia (close to 7 percent), a doubling from the 3.5 percent rise seen in 2017.

These higher dropout rates may contribute to increased youth unemployment, particularly in regions with more dropouts.

Net immigration of young people in 2024

As for migration, Harju County saw the most internal migration, with 1,889 young people moving there from elsewhere in the country. Smaller figures were seen in Tartu and Pärnu, with Hiiumaa and Põlva counties having the fewest new arrivals in this demographic.

Last year, 3,744 young people left Estonia, but 4,921 arrived, mostly settling in Harju County.

According to state agency Statistics Estonia, as of the beginning of January this year, people aged 7 to 26 made up 21.6 percent of the population, a fall of 0.3 percent over ten years.

The highest proportion of young people – 22.1 percent – is found in Southern Estonia; the lowest, at 19.2 percent, is in Northeastern Estonia.

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