Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Estonia
Estonia: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 21.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Estonia, 2004–2020
Source: World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for public sector employment as a share of total employment in Estonia is 21.9%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Estonia peaked at 29.5% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 20.3%, in 2008.
That places Estonia 30th out of 79 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Estonia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 29.5% | — |
| 2005 | 26.8% | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 27.5% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 25.0% | -9.0% |
| 2008 | 20.3% | -18.6% |
| 2009 | 22.2% | +9.3% |
| 2010 | 23.8% | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 23.1% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 23.2% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 22.7% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 22.3% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 22.7% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 22.0% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 21.5% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 22.5% | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 21.9% | -2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25.2% | 20.3% | 29.5% | 6 |
| 2010s | 22.5% | 21.3% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.9% | 21.9% | 21.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More work & labour data for Estonia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6763 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6638 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1039 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 885.23 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 259.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 417.66 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 407.84 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 825.5 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public sector employment as a share of total employment in Estonia?
- Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Estonia was 21.9% in 2020, according to World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.5% in 2004.
- What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.3% in 2008.
- How does Estonia rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Estonia ranks 30th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
- Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Estonia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.