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Key Demographic Features of Estonia*

Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Map references: Europe

People

Population: 1,459,428 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 148,683; female 143,563)
15-64 years: 66% (male 467,759; female 501,519)
65 years and over: 14% (male 63,976; female 133,928) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: -1.13% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.13 years
male: 62.5 years
female: 74.05 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions:
Religions: Lutheran, Orthodox Christian
Languages:
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100%

Government

Country Abbreviation: EN
Type of government: republic
Independence: 6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 February (1918)
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1992
Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

International organization participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Toomas Hendrik ILVES
chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101
FAX: [1] (202) 789-0471
consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lawrence P. TAYLOR
embassy: Kentmanni 20, Tallinn EE 0001
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [372] (6) 312-021
FAX: [372] (6) 312-025
Flag: pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white

Economy

Economic overview:
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.3 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP real growth rate: 6% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $7,600 (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8% (1994 est.)

Communications

Telephones: 400,000
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave 0
Radios: 710,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 3
note:
Televisions: 600,000 (1993 est.)

*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

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