Freedom in Estonia
Where Estonia sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Estonia has a figure for 57 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.969 | 2025 | 4 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.908 | 2025 | 11 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.963 | 2025 | 1 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.980 | 2025 | 11 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.908 | 2025 | 18 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.974 | 2025 | 2 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 3.201 | 2025 | 3 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 3.028 | 2025 | 4 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 2.569 | 2025 | 5 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 42 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 97.5 | 2023 | 15 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 42 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 1.000 | 2025 | 14 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 1.000 | 2025 | 18 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 57.0 | 2025 | 15 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 39.0 | 2025 | 12 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 155.8% | 2025 | 7 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 22.7% | 2024 | 61 of 83 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 37.7% | 2023 | 66 of 79 |
| Foreign investment inflows | -1.8% | 2025 | 82 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 76.9 | 2024 | 14 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $41.6K | 2025 | 38 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 0.6% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 4.8% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 8.3% | 2025 | 121 of 163 |
| Income inequality | 30.700 | 2023 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 0.3% | 2023 | 16 of 55 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 92.2% | 2024 | 36 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 35.4 | 2024 | 29 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 151.1 | 2024 | 19 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.887 | 2025 | 5 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.837 | 2025 | 5 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.985 | 2025 | 8 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.969 | 2025 | 6 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.932 | 2025 | 15 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.025 | 2025 | 8 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.890 | 2025 | 23 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.941 | 2025 | 6 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 81.6 | 2024 | 15 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 81.6 | 2024 | 12 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 76.6 | 2024 | 19 of 169 |
| Political stability | 77.8 | 2024 | 27 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.905 | 2023 | 30 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 79.3 | 2024 | 37 of 170 |
| Secondary school enrolment | 108.5% | 2024 | 12 of 85 |
| Health spending | 7.5% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 22.1% | 2023 | 58 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 5.0 | 2023 | 24 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 28.7% | 2025 | 73 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 61.0% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.18 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 70.7% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 9.3 | 2024 | 63 of 168 |
| Population | 1.4M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 7.76 | 2024 | 141 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 38.0% | 2021 | 60 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 25 of 169 |
What is missing
3 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Estonia in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Estonia, not a zero. Who publishes what