The gender pay gap is the largest in financial and insurance activities
According to Statistics Estonia, in 2024, the gross hourly wages and salaries of female employees were 13.2% smaller than the hourly wages of male employees. Year on year, the gender pay gap widened by 0.1 percentage points.
Sigrid Saagpakk, analyst at Statistics Estonia, explained that the gender pay gap was over 20% in five economic activities: financial and insurance activities (25.5%), information and communication (24.4%), wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (23.5%), human health and social work activities (20.7%), and manufacturing (20.2%). Compared with 2023, the gender pay gap in other service activities changed the most, from −18.4% in 2023 to 14.8% in 2024.
Last year, the gender pay gap was negative only in one activity – transportation and storage (−7.1%). “It means that female employees in transportation and storage earned more than male employees,” explained Saagpakk. The following activities also had a small gender pay gap: water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (3.6%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (5.9%), real estate activities (6%), and public administration and defence, compulsory social security (6.5%).
Average gross hourly wages were 10.67 euros for women and 12.29 euros for men
“Average gross hourly wages were the highest in information and communication: 21.6 euros for male and 16.3 euros for female employees. In financial and insurance activities, men earned 20.7 euros and women 15.4 euros per hour on average,” said Saagpakk.
Gross hourly wages were the lowest in accommodation and food service activities for both male and female employees – 8.4 and 7.1 euros, respectively.
Saagpakk noted that the gender pay gap in Estonia has decreased by 9.7 percentage points since 2011. “Over the last 13 years, average gross hourly wages have risen by more than 6 euros, specifically by 6.6 euros for male employees and by 6.3 euros for female employees,” she said.
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications: we need to challenge gender stereotypes and increase transparency
“The gender pay gap is an indicator of overall gender equality in the society,” said Eva Liina Kliiman, advisor at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. She added that the difference in women’s and men’s average wages has very real negative consequences, as wages determine our wellbeing not just in the present but also in the future. The inequality that exists today has a direct impact on various benefits and on pensions, for example.
“To reduce the gender pay gap, we need to diminish the impact of gender stereotypes upon the choices and opportunities that women and men have. And there must be greater pay transparency. It also matters how the society as a whole values and rewards care work, including in education, nursing and healthcare. Compensation for work in these areas is largely dependent on political decisions,” explained Kliiman.
Employers can analyse the gender pay gap
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and Statistics Estonia have developed a digital tool for enterprises. The Palgapeegel application is accessible in the self-service environment of the Labour Inspectorate and allows employers to easily analyse the gender pay gap in their organisation. The application uses register data and does not require any additional data input from employers.
The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between the average gross hourly wages of male and female employees divided by the average gross hourly wages of male employees, and it is expressed as a percentage. The average gross wages and salaries, as used in the calculation of the gender pay gap, do not include irregular bonuses or premiums.
The 2024 data on the gender pay gap were collected with the questionnaire “Gross hourly earnings of male and female employees in October”.
Statistics Estonia and Eurostat use different methodologies to calculate the gender pay gap. The gender pay gap published by Eurostat does not take into account the indicators of enterprises and institutions with fewer than 10 employees; it also excludes the earnings of employees in agriculture, forestry and fishing and in public administration and defence.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.
When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
For further information:
Heidi Kukk
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)