Average wages and salaries were 2,135 euros in the first quarter

Krista Vaikmets, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that wage growth was stable at 5 to 6%. “Year on year, wages have increased in all counties, with the greatest increase registered in Rapla and Järva counties where the rise in gross wages and salaries was about 7%. The increase in average monthly wages was the smallest in Viljandi and Tartu counties – about 5%,” said Vaikmets. 

In the first quarter, the average monthly gross wages and salaries were again the highest in Harju county (2,405 euros), rising by 6.3% year on year, and in Tartu county (2,129 euros), growing by 5.3% year on year.

“Looking at the statistics for Tallinn city, the average gross wages earned in the capital rose to 2,538 euros, up from 2,384 euros a year ago,” noted Vaikmets.

The changes in gross monthly wages do not reflect the impact of the basic exemption which was raised from 2026, as this mainly concerns employees’ net income. 

Average wages were again the highest in information and communication

Vaikmets said that there are three economic activities where average monthly gross wages and salaries exceed 3,000 euros. “In the first quarter of 2026, average monthly wages and salaries were the highest in information and communication – 3,821 euros. This was followed by financial and insurance activities with 3,608 euros, and electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply with 3,132 euros,” she explained. 

The lowest average wages and salaries were registered in accommodation and food service activities (1,337 euros) and other service activities (1,389 euros). “Nevertheless, there has been a roughly 4% wage growth in these activities as well,” added Vaikmets.

Wages and salaries in the energy sector showed the biggest growth year on year. Compared with the first quarter of 2025, wages were up by 15.4% in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply and by 11.2% in the agricultural sector. In the other major sectors – manufacturing, trade and construction – the average gross wages and salaries increased, respectively, by 7.4%, 5.5% and 6.5%.

There were 580,099 employees in the first quarter, down by 5,000 from the year before. In the first quarter of 2026, the largest number of employees – 100,489 – worked in manufacturing, representing 17% of all employees. This was followed by wholesale and retail trade (incl. repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles) with 84,004 employees, education with 64,203 employees, and human health and social work activities with 48,265 employees.

The median of gross wages (salaries) is the wage level at which half of the employees earn less than that level and half earn more than that level. The median wages were 1,753 euros in the first quarter of 2026, which is 6% higher than in the first quarter of 2025. “The growth trend for median wages is the same as for average gross monthly wages, both regionally and by economic activity,” said Vaikmets.

Average monthly gross wages and salaries are calculated as the ratio between payment and labour contribution. Payment means any monetary consideration paid to an employee, including wages, bonuses, holiday pay and other compensation, as well as interest on arrears, for example. The median of gross wages (salaries) is the wage level at which half of the employees earn less than that level and half earn more than that level.

Since the first quarter of 2023, Statistics Estonia uses data from the employment register of the Tax and Customs Board and the income and social tax declarations to publish the average wages and salaries. People working under employment contracts, the Civil Service Act (excluding employees in the areas of governance of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior), and service contracts are included.

Starting from the third quarter of 2025, Statistics Estonia also publishes data on average wages and salaries in municipalities. The data are based on the location of the place of work, not the location of the place of residence of the employee. For example, if a person lives in Rae rural municipality but has a place of work based in Tallinn, this person’s wages are included in the statistics for Tallinn. See the annual data and quarterly data in the statistical database.

Pursuant to the amendment to the Employment Contract Act which entered into force on 13 February 2026, an employee and an employer may conclude a flexible working time agreement. Such arrangements are not included in the wages and salaries statistics currently published by Statistics Estonia. Statistics Estonia will monitor the use of flexible working time agreements based on register data and will make plans for the necessary methodological changes in the future.

The wages and salaries statistics are based on the Estonian Classification of Economic Activities (EMTAK 2008). A new version of the classification was implemented in 2025. Statistics Estonia will analyse the impact of the changes in the new version (EMTAK 2025) on wages and salaries statistics. 2025 and 2026 data according to EMTAK 2025 will be published in 2027 the latest.

Data as at 2 June 2026 are published. The indicator values may change if there are any revisions made in the data sources after this date.

More detailed data have been published in the wages and salaries and labour costs section on our website. 

See the latest data on wages in Statistics Estonia’s earnings application.

When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source. 

For further information:

Annaliisa Köss
Media Relations Partner
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee
 

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