WHY ESTONIA?  Once the most Lutheran of the Baltic states, Estonia is now considered the most secular nation in the world.

Estonia was under Soviet rule from 1944 to 1991. However, even under the constant threat of exile, imprisonment, or death, this stoic people were able to hold fast to many of their cultural traditions and language, including their rich history of folk songs and music festivals. So much, in fact, that the Estonian people quite literally sang themselves from under communism (we recommend watching the film: The Singing Revolution) and were the first of the Baltic states to declare independence. However, due to 45 years of imposed scientific atheism, the Lutheran church (once one of the largest in Europe) suffered greatly, and today, less than 2% of Estonians identify as Lutheran.

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Country Snapshot

Area: (about twice the size of New Jersey) total: 45,228 sq km (17,463 sq miles), land: 42,388 sq km (16,366 sq miles), water: 2,840 sq km (1,097 sq miles), note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea

Population: 1,193,791 (2024 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.76% (2024 est.)

Capital City: Tallinn

Independence Day: 20 August 1991 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)

Ethnic Groups: Estonian 69.1%, Russian 23.7%, Ukrainian 2.1%, other 4.6%, unspecified 0.5% (2021 est.)

Languages: Estonian (official) 67.2%, Russian 28.5%, other 3.7%, unspecified 0.6% (2021est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 78.4 years / male: 73.8 years / female: 83.2 years (2024 est.)

Religious Groups:
none 58.4%
Orthodox 16.5%
unspecified 12.9%
Protestant 9.2% (Lutheran 7.7%, other Protestant 1.5%)
other 3% (includes Roman Catholic, Muslim, Jehovah’s Witness, Pentecostal, Buddhist, and Taara Believer)

Literacy: (definition: age 15 and over can read and write)
total population: 99.9%
male: 99.9%
female: 99.9% (2021)

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