Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Estonia
Estonia: Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private was 26.8% in 2026. ▼ Falling
Latest (2026)
26.8%
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
37th
of 45 countries
All-time high
37.1%
in 1999
All-time low
26.0%
in 2024
Years of data
29
1998–2026
Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Estonia, 1998–2026
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
Estonia recorded 26.8% for persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Estonia peaked at 37.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 26.0%, in 2024.
Estonia ranks 37th of 45 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Estonia, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 35.7% | — |
| 1999 | 37.1% | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 36.1% | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 36.4% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 36.3% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 35.9% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 36.5% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 36.1% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 33.8% | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 34.2% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 31.8% | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 33.6% | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 33.3% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 32.5% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 32.7% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 32.2% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 31.7% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 30.3% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 30.1% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 27.8% | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 27.7% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 27.8% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 27.7% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 28.7% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 26.5% | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 26.3% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 26.0% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 27.3% | +5.0% |
| 2026 | 26.8% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.4% | 35.7% | 37.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.1% | 31.8% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.6% | 27.7% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.0% | 26.0% | 28.7% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More work & labour data for Estonia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 32 - Employment by 42.7 Persons (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 32 - Employment by 21.94 Persons (2022)
- Employment rates by educational attainment level, country of birth 75.4% (2025)
- Labour force by NUTS 2 region 749.3 Thousand persons (2025)
- Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level 81.7% (2025)
- Population in private households by citizenship, labour status and 1,012 Thousand persons (2025)
- Population in private households by country of birth, labour status 1,012 Thousand persons (2025)
- Employed persons by job tenure and NUTS 2 region 693.1 Thousand persons (2025)
- Employed persons by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region 693.1 Thousand persons (2025)
- Employed persons by NUTS 2 region 693.1 Thousand persons (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Estonia?
- Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private in Estonia was 26.8% in 2026, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 37.1% in 1999.
- What is the lowest persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.0% in 2024.
- How does Estonia rank for persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private?
- Estonia ranks 37th out of 45 countries with data for 2026.
- Is persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Estonia data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Persons outside the labour force - % of total population in private households - quarterly data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).