Estonia Rate of Natural Increase

Estonia’s rate of natural increase (RNI)—the difference between its crude birth rate and crude death rate—has been negative or near zero in recent years, reflecting more deaths than births and contributing to a slow population decline. This trend is similar to its Baltic neighbors, Latvia and Lithuania, both of which also experience negative RNIs due to low fertility rates and aging populations. In contrast, Finland, Estonia’s northern neighbor, has a slightly higher RNI but still hovers near zero, while Russia, to the east, has fluctuated between negative and marginally positive RNI in the past decade, depending on government policies and demographic shifts. Overall, Estonia and its neighboring countries share the challenge of low or negative natural population growth, a common feature in much of Eastern and Northern Europe, driven by declining birth rates and increasing life expectancy.

Data from US Census International Database