1. The Demographics of Estonia
Rebecca Plummer

2. Estonia: the Basics Capital – Tallinn Consists of 15 Counties
Current Population about 1.34 million
Incorporated into USSR in 1940
Gained independence in 1991
Data from Statistics Estonia

3. A Taste of Estonia

4. Fertility in Estonia
Data from Drs. Gavrilov TFR spreadsheet, supplemented by U.S. Census Bureau data

5. Abortion Rates Teens vs. Adults
Haldre, 2009, Figure 1, p. 45

6. Fertility in Estonia
Data from Drs. Gavrilov TFR spreadsheet, supplemented by U.S. Census Bureau data

7. Abortion Rates in Estonia and Russia
Data from Statistics Estonia and SOCI Class Lecture #7

8. Depopulation in Estonia
Data from Statistics Estonia

9. Ethnicity and Mortality
Ethnic Composition 2009
Data from Statistics Estonia
Leinsalu, 2004, Figure 1, p. 584

10. Mortality Rates for Different Age Groups
Leinsalu, 2004, Table 2, p. 585

11. Mortality Rates by Cause of Death
Leinsalu, 2004, Table 3, p. 586

12. Life Expectancy Trends in Life Expectancy (Female)
Trends in Life Expectancy (Male)
From SOCI Class Lecture #7

13. Problems with Migration Statistics
Return Migration
Problems with Migration Statistics
– no longer required to register change in home address
Return migrants from the West are sometimes under-registered (Estonian citizenship vs. Soviet citizenship)
Return migrants from the West sometimes also over-registered—registered but don’t live in Estonia
Kulu, 2000, Figure 1, p. 352

14. Return Migration
Distribution of Return Migrants from FSU Republics by Birth Cohort
Distribution of Return Migrants from the West by Birth Cohort
All figures from Kulu and Tammaru (2000)

15. Return Migration
Both figures from Kulu and Tammaru (2000)

16. Population Aging Population Pyramids from U.S. Census Bureau
Dependency Ratio Data from Statistics Estonia

17. Additional Comparison to Russia
Crude marriage rates in Estonia remain far lower than those in Russia
Mean age at first marriage in Estonia is greater and increasing more quickly than in Russia
Trends in infant mortality have been comparable, but infant mortality rates remain lower in Estonia

18. Crude Marriage Rates—Estonia, Russia, USA
From SOCI Class Lecture #6

19. Mean age at first marriage--Russia, USA and Estonia
From SOCI Class Lecture #6

20. Changes in Infant Mortality
From SOCI Class Lecture #7

21. Works Cited
Gavrilov, Leonid, and Natalia Gavrilova. "Demography of Russia and the Former Soviet Union." University of Chicago Lectures.
Haldre, Kai. Sexual Health and Behavior of Young Women in Estonia. Diss. The University of Tartu, Tartu UP, 2009.
International Data Base. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Web. <
Kulu, Hill, and Tiit Tammaru. "Ethnic Return Migration from the East and the West: The Case of Estonia in the 1990s." Europe-Asia Studies 52.2 (2000):
Leinsalu, Mall, Denny Vagero, and Anton E. Kunst. "Increasing Ethnic Differences in Mortality in Estonia after the Collapse of the Soviet Union." J Epidemiol Community Health 58 (2004):
Statistics Estonia. Web. <
Walker, Marcus. "In Estonia, Paying Women to Have Babies Pays Off." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 20 Oct