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Robert Müürsepp, the national accounts team lead at Statistics Estonia, said that the GDP, which had shown growth in the fourth quarter last year, was again down a little in the first quarter this year. “A month ago, we published a model-based flash estimate which suggested that the economy might be slightly improving. However, the flash estimate underestimated some irregular factors in the fourth quarter. Vehicle sales were exceptionally high in the fourth quarter in anticipation of the introduction of the motor vehicle tax from 2025. But the model could not fully foresee the significant

Johanna Linda Pihlak, analyst at Statistics Estonia, noted that the biggest decline at 4% was registered in the turnover volume of stores selling manufactured goods. In grocery stores, the volume of turnover was down by 3%. “However, the turnover volume of enterprises engaged in the retail sale of automotive fuel increased by 2% last year,” added Pihlak. Retail trade volume turned to growth again in the last month of the year. “The turnover of retail trade enterprises was €1 billion in December 2024, and compared with the same month in 2023, turnover volume was up by 1%,” Pihlak pointed out

Märt Umbleja, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, pointed out that the last time the dwelling price index fell compared with the previous quarter was in the third quarter of 2023. “Compared with the second quarter of 2024, the prices of apartments decreased by 1% in areas bordering Tallinn and in Tartu and Pärnu cities, and by 7.7% in the rest of Estonia. In Tallinn, apartment prices continued to rise, increasing by 0.9% from the previous quarter,” Umbleja noted. Compared with the third quarter of 2023, apartment prices went up by 5.8% and the prices of houses by 8.1%. The monetary volume

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.

Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas stated that the survey results suggest we are moving in the right direction with our education reforms. “People with lower education levels tend to have weaker skills and lower life satisfaction. Extending compulsory education, as we recently initiated, is clearly the right direction in light of these results. The survey also shows that Russian-speaking residents face challenges in the labor market due to lower skills, often caused by insufficient proficiency in Estonian. Transitioning to Estonian-language education is crucial, and we need to

Sigrid Saagpakk, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that a smart TV is the most common Internet of Things device in Estonia, used by 57% of internet users. “The second most popular group of devices includes smart watches, wireless headsets and GPS devices, which are used by over a half (53%) of the respondents. Internet-connected home audio systems and smart speakers are also fairly common (28%),” added Saagpakk. Smart fridges and robot vacuums Internet-connected home appliances and voice-activated virtual assistants, such as Alexa or Siri, are gaining popularity – their use has grown by 35%

The production value of Estonian construction enterprises in 2024 was 3.9 billion euros, including 2.4 billion euros’ worth of building construction and 1.5 billion euros’ worth of civil engineering. Compared with 2023, the volume of building construction fell by 9% and the volume of civil engineering works (roads, bridges, port facilities, pipelines, communication and electricity lines, sports fields, etc.) by 2%. Merike Sinisaar, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, pointed out that construction volumes decreased for the third year in a row. “The downturn in the domestic construction

According to Statistics Estonia, in 2023, the average expenditure of Estonian residents on overnight outbound trips was greater than in the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. The average spending on outbound trips has increased by 43% in the years 2018–2023. The number of tourists accommodated in Estonia has not yet reached the pre-pandemic level, but the share of domestic tourists has increased significantly compared with 2018.