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.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 221.9 | 222.1 | 223.6 | 225.9 | 227.9 | 231.6 | 233.0 | 238.7 | 242.2 | 244.1 |
| General education | 145.9 | 149.2 | 153.3 | 156.7 | 158.7 | 160.8 | 162.6 | 169.1 | 171.2 | 171.0 |
| ..basic school level | 120.0 | 122.9 | 126.4 | 129.3 | 131.1 | 132.1 | 133.0 | 138.3 | 138.3 | 136.2 |
| ..gymnasium level | 25.9 | 26.2 | 26.9 | 27.3 | 27.6 | 28.8 | 29.6 | 30.8 | 32.9 | 34.9 |
| Vocational education | 24.9 | 25.1 | 24.1 | 23.4 | 24.0 | 25.5 | 25.9 | 25.5 | 26.3 | 27.6 |
| ..vocational courses with no previous education requirement | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.1 |
| ..vocational courses after basic education | 16.4 | 18.0 | 18.2 | 18.3 | 18.6 | 19.7 | 19.8 | 19.7 | 20.2 | 21.1 |
| ..vocational courses after secondary education | 7.7 | 6.0 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
| Higher education | 51.1 | 47.8 | 46.2 | 45.8 | 45.2 | 45.3 | 44.6 | 44.1 | 44.6 | 45.5 |
| ..professional higher education | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.9 | 12.6 | 12.0 | 11.7 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 11.5 |
| ..Bachelor study | 18.9 | 16.8 | 16.1 | 15.8 | 15.7 | 16.0 | 15.8 | 15.9 | 16.5 | 16.9 |
| ..integrated Bachelor's/Master's study | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| ..Master's study | 11.8 | 11.6 | 11.5 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11.3 |
| ..Doctoral study | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 |