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Immigration 202418,63424th in the EU-27
Net migration 2024+1,374immigration − emigration
First-time asylum claims 202599521st in the EU-27 · 0.1% UE
New citizenships 202475825th in the EU-27

Estonia ranks 24th in the EU-27 for regular immigration: in 2024 it registered 18,634 arrivals and 17,260 departures, for a net balance of +1,374. In 2025 first-time asylum applications came to 995, 0.1% of the EU total; citizenship acquisitions in 2024 numbered 758.

Regular migration

The series includes all citizenships — EU citizens moving between member states and returning nationals included — and counts those moving their usual residence for at least 12 months. Compared with 2019, immigration is broadly stable.

Immigration Emigration

Regular migration, Estonia, by year · Eurostat
YearImmigrationEmigrationNet
202418,63417,260+1,374
202326,39912,543+13,856
202249,4149,657+39,757
202119,52412,481+7,043
202016,20912,427+3,782
201918,25912,801+5,458
201817,54710,476+7,071
201717,61612,358+5,258
201614,82213,792+1,030
201515,41313,003+2,410
20143,9044,637−733
20134,1096,740−2,631
20122,6396,321−3,682
20113,7096,214−2,505
20102,8105,294−2,484
20093,8844,658−774
20083,6714,406−735

Asylum applications

First-time applications for international protection lodged in Estonia in 2025 came to 995 (the 21st-highest in the EU). The series peak remains 2023, with 3,975 applications.

First-time asylum applications, Estonia, by year · Eurostat
YearFirst-time claims
2025995
20241,330
20233,975
20222,940
202170
202045
201995
201890
2017190
2016150
2015230
2014145
201390
201275
201170
201030
200940
20085

New citizenships

In 2024 citizenship acquisitions came to 758, the 25th-highest in the EU-27. It is a lagging indicator: today's new citizens typically immigrated several years ago.

Citizenship acquisitions, Estonia, by year · Eurostat
YearAcquisitions
2024758
20231,078
2022812
20211,034
2020770
2019779
2018766
2017880
20161,779
2015898
20141,614
20131,330
20121,339
20111,518
20101,184
20091,670
20082,124

Who leaves

In 2024, 6,472 of the country's own citizens moved abroad (the 21st-highest in the EU). The true number is almost certainly higher: emigration is measured through de-registrations, and people who leave do not always deregister.

How to read these numbers. Regular migration follows the UN definition (residence ≥ 12 months) and also includes EU citizens and returning nationals. “First-time applications” exclude repeat claims in the same country. Emigration, based on de-registrations, is generally undercounted. Definitions in the glossary, sources and limits in the methodology.

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