Education

Nowadays it is possible to change one’s career, acquire a new specialty or broaden one’s general knowledge at any point in life. A person’s education starts early on in kindergarten and continues in basic school. Many people study their whole lives. Adults have more learning opportunities than ever before. In addition to universities, one can study in training centres and participate in short courses. There are more and more e-learning programmes, which also makes international education more widely available.

Education statistics provide information on fields of education, educational institutions, education expenditures, students and graduates. Formal education data are obtained from the Estonian Education Information System (EHIS). Data on adult education are collected using internationally coordinated surveys (the Labour Force Survey, Adult Education Survey, Continuing Vocational Training Survey).

From education statistics, it is possible to find out

  • how many different educational institutions there are;
  • how many children go to kindergartens and schools;
  • what is the education level of people living in Estonia;
  • how many foreign students there are;
  • how many children and youth participate in hobby education;
  • how popular is studying among adults;
  • how enterprises contribute to continuing training of employees.

Statistics Estonia publishes education data to be used both in Estonia and internationally. Education statistics and international comparisons of education indicators are a basis for the national education policy. They allow comparing trends in Estonian education policy with those in other countries and using this information for better decision-making.

Persons with higher education 404,546
2.2%
2022
Persons aged 15 and over without education 2,437
-5.0%
2022
Children in preschool institutions 68,983
3.0%
2022
Enrolment in formal education 239 thousand
2.4%
2022
Share of participants in adult education 41 %
2016
Persons with higher education | 2022
Enrolment in formal education by type and level of education | 2013 – 2022
Unit: thousand
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total 226.2 222.9 221.9 222.1 223.6 225.9 227.9 231.6 233.0 238.7
General education 140.5 142.5 145.9 149.2 153.3 156.7 158.7 160.8 162.6 169.1
..basic school level 113.6 116.3 120.0 122.9 126.4 129.3 131.1 132.1 133.0 138.3
..gymnasium level 26.9 26.2 25.9 26.2 26.9 27.3 27.6 28.8 29.6 30.8
Vocational education 25.7 25.2 24.9 25.1 24.1 23.4 24.0 25.5 25.9 25.5
..vocational courses with no previous education requirement 0.4 0.4 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.5
..vocational courses after basic education 14.3 14.5 16.4 18.0 18.2 18.3 18.6 19.7 19.8 19.7
..vocational courses after secondary education 11.1 10.2 7.7 6.0 4.8 3.9 4.0 4.3 4.4 4.2
Higher education 60.0 55.2 51.1 47.8 46.2 45.8 45.2 45.3 44.6 44.1
..professional higher education 17.9 15.7 14.2 13.4 12.9 12.6 12.0 11.7 11.5 11.2
..Bachelor study 22.7 20.5 18.9 16.8 16.1 15.8 15.7 16.0 15.8 15.9
..integrated Bachelor's/Master's study 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3
..Master's study 12.7 12.4 11.8 11.6 11.5 11.8 12.0 12.0 11.7 11.4
..Doctoral study 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.3

News

Working international students and graduates contributed over 22 million euros in taxes in the previous academic year

Statistics Estonia analysed the economic contribution of working international students and international graduates. The analysis, commissioned by the Education and Youth Board, shows that, in the academic year 2021/22, international degree students contributed 14 million euros and international graduates over 8 million euros in taxes. In recent years, there has been a considerable rise in the number of international graduates who stay to work in Estonia after graduation. The majority of these graduates work in Tallinn.
Read more 13. February 2023
News

Survey reveals whether adults in Estonia are as clever as our children

The international Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), which aims to collect data on people’s everyday competencies such as literacy, numeracy, information-seeking, use of computers and information technology, as well as their education and work experience, begins today. This is the second time that Estonia has participated in the survey.
Read more 8. September 2022
News

International students and graduates continue to contribute more in taxes to the Estonian economy

According to Statistics Estonia, in the academic year 2020/2021, international students and graduates in Estonia paid more than ever before in labour taxes: a total of 16 million euros. At the same time, the number of international students was smaller, while the number of international graduates continued to rise. International students and graduates were most likely to work in information and communication as well as in education. Compared to local students, they worked more often in start-up enterprises.
Read more 12. January 2022