Languages spoken in Estonia
Europe · Capital: Tallinn · Population 1.4 million
The official language of Estonia is Estonian. An estimated 71% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 972,696 people. After Estonian, the most widely spoken are English at 50% and Russian at 42.2%. Estonian belongs to the Uralic language family. Estonian is not recorded in any of Estonia's two neighbours. In total, four languages are recorded in Estonia, and their shares add up to 184.2% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.8 of them.
What languages are spoken in Estonia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EstonianUralic | 71% | Official | 972,696 |
| EnglishIndo-European | 50% | Spoken | 684,998 |
| RussianIndo-European | 42.2% | Spoken | 578,138 |
| FinnishUralic | 21% | Spoken | 287,699 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Estonia?
The official language of Estonia is Estonian. Estonian is spoken by an estimated 71% of the population, or roughly 972,696 people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Estonian in Estonia?
An estimated 71% of Estonia's 1.4 million people speak Estonian, which works out at roughly 972,696 speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Estonia
- Capital
- Tallinn
- Population
- 1.4 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 45,227 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 2
- ISO codes
- EE / EST / 233
Which countries border Estonia?
Estonia shares a land border with two countries: Latvia and Russia. None of them records Estonian, the most widely spoken language in Estonia, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.