Labour · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Estonia: the labour market
Labour force is 754,206 (2025), 153rd of 187 in the world and 45th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 65.1% (2025), 58th of 187 in the world and 8th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 61.0% (2025), 46th of 187 in the world and 9th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Estonia
Participation rate
EstoniaEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Estonia in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 754,2062025 | 153/187 | 45/49 | 677,821 | 682,900 | 700,345 | +10%since 2015 | 429m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 65.1%2025 | 58/187 | 8/49 | 58.9% | 60.5% | 63.0% | +3.3 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 61.0%2025 | 46/187 | 9/49 | 52.6% | 55.1% | 57.1% | +5.2 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 59.7%2025 | 78/187 | 13/49 | 51.0% | 50.4% | 58.7% | +1.9 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 8.3%2025 | 53/187 | 13/49 | 13.4% | 16.7% | 7.0% | +1.9 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 8.0%2025 | 62/187 | 13/49 | 11.6% | 14.1% | 6.8% | +1.7 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 19.7%2025 | 52/187 | 16/49 | 21.1% | 32.9% | 18.4% | +5.4 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 10.9%2025 | 132/170 | 20/46 | 17.5% | 14.0% | 9.2% | −0.6 ppsince 2015 | 11.4% | 10.6% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 87.9%2025 | 27/187 | 13/49 | 86.6% | 87.7% | 87.9% | +0.3 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 7.1%2025 | 166/187 | 39/49 | 8.8% | 7.6% | 7.3% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 3.0%2025 | 148/187 | 33/49 | 6.4% | 4.2% | 3.1% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 26.0%2025 | 36/187 | 17/49 | 35.0% | 30.3% | 29.7% | −5.3 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 71.0%2025 | 58/187 | 22/49 | 58.6% | 65.5% | 67.2% | +6.3 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+5.2 pp61.0% in 2025
- Employment rate+1.9 pp59.7% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−0.6 pp10.9% in 2025
- Wage workers+0.3 pp87.9% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Unemployment+1.9 pp8.3% in 2025
- Female unemployment+1.7 pp8.0% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+5.4 pp19.7% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Estonia and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Estonia. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Estonia | Russia | Latvia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 754,2062025 | 72.8m2025 | 948,4282025 |
| Participation rate | 65.1%2025 | 61.1%2025 | 60.5%2025 |
| Women's participation | 61.0%2025 | 54.5%2025 | 55.2%2025 |
| Employment rate | 59.7%2025 | 59.8%2025 | 56.5%2025 |
| Unemployment | 8.3%2025 | 2.1%2025 | 6.6%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 8.0%2025 | 2.2%2025 | 5.5%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 19.7%2025 | 7.6%2025 | 12.9%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 10.9%2025 | 6.7%2025 | 9.1%2025 |
| Wage workers | 87.9%2025 | 93.7%2025 | 86.3%2025 |