9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

The focus of the global goal “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure” is infrastructure development, industrialisation and innovation, which are three important pillars of economic growth. If action in these areas is resilient, inclusive and sustainable, economic growth will support sustainable development.

The 2030 Agenda targets include increasing the share of industry in employment and GDP; this indicator should double in the least developed countries. The agenda lays down improving access to financial services, raising efficiency in environmentally sound use of natural resources, enhancing research, increasing the number of researchers as well as including the private sector. Universal access to the internet must significantly expand already by 2020.

The Estonian sustainable development strategy emphasises securing fast internet in the educational system and digital availability of cultural records and texts.

The global goal “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation” is linked in Estonia to the following indicators of R&D, availability of fast internet and transport of passangers and goods:

  • Research and development expenditure
  • Employment in research and development
  • Fast internet
  • Internet use
  • Carriage of passengers and goods
Share of research and development expenditure in GDP 1.8 %
2022
Number of private sector researchers and engineers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2
22.5%
2022
Share of fast internet connections 31.8 %
2022
Rate of internet use 93.2 %
2023
Share of passengers carried by rail in carriage of passengers by land transport 2.0 %
2021
Share of passengers using passenger cars in carriage of passengers by land transport 89.3 %
2021
Share of passengers carried by buses and trolleybuses in carriage of passengers by land transport 8.8 %
2021
Share of rail transport in carriage of goods by land transport 40.1 %
2021
Share of road transport in carriage of goods by land transport 59.9 %
2021