Rural population in Estonia
Estonia: Rural population was 29.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Estonia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Estonia stood at 29.3%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Estonia peaked at 42.4% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 28.6%, in 1989.
That places Estonia 132nd out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Estonia, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 42.4% | — |
| 1961 | 41.2% | -2.9% |
| 1962 | 39.9% | -3.1% |
| 1963 | 39.0% | -2.1% |
| 1964 | 38.3% | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 37.5% | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 36.9% | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 36.4% | -1.5% |
| 1968 | 35.8% | -1.5% |
| 1969 | 35.4% | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 34.8% | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 34.5% | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 33.9% | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 33.3% | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 32.8% | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 32.3% | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 31.8% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 31.3% | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 30.8% | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 30.4% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 30.0% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 29.7% | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 29.4% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 29.2% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 29.0% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 28.9% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 28.8% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 28.7% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 28.6% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 28.6% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 28.7% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 29.0% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 29.5% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 30.0% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 30.5% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 31.0% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 31.6% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 32.0% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 32.3% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 32.6% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 32.6% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 32.6% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 32.6% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 32.6% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 32.5% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 32.5% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 32.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 32.4% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 32.3% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 32.3% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 32.2% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 32.1% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 32.0% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 31.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 31.7% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 31.5% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 31.3% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 31.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 30.7% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 30.4% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 30.1% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 29.8% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 29.5% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 29.3% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 29.3% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 29.3% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.3% | 35.4% | 42.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 32.6% | 30.4% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.1% | 28.6% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.7% | 28.7% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.5% | 32.3% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.5% | 30.4% | 32.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.6% | 29.3% | 30.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More agriculture & rural data for Estonia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0165 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 566.81 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.5048 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2928 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Estonia?
- Rural population in Estonia was 29.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 42.4% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.6% in 1989.
- How does Estonia rank for rural population?
- Estonia ranks 132nd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Estonia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.