Population of Estonia: 1,294,236 (2011 census; compare to 2000 census data, when the counted size of the population was 1,370,052)

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Immigration 1097 1436 2234 3741 3671 3884 2810 3709

Emigration 2927 4610 5527 4384 4406 4658 5294 6214

Net migration -1830 -3174 -3293 -643 -735 -774 -2484 -2505

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Immigration

Emigration

Net migration

Male Aged 15-34 Low-skilled Among Estonian immigrants in Finland, the

proportion of university-educated people in the emigrant population is much less than in the total Estonian population

Also, the proportion of emigrants who are highly educated has further decreased since Estonia joined the EU

Destination countries are the Nordic countries, particularly Finland

Ireland and Great Britain have lost their importance

Australia and the United States of America are popular places (for young people)

In 2011 the number of returning Estonian nationals among immigrants made up more than half of immigration to Estonia

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Estonian nationals 338 455 746 1789 1742 1655 1611 2034

Total immigration 1097 1436 2234 3741 3671 3884 2810 3709

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Estonian nationals

Total immigration

Talents Back Home! Return support

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Number of applicants of return support 36 12 40 144 242 42 66 54

Total amount paid (EUR) 25,373 12,591 50,810 128,143 121,911 44,419 51,257 55,070 Average amount of support received by an applicant (EUR) 705 1,049 1,270 890 504 1,058 777 1,020

Up to 2000 euro per adult relocation support. Conditions:

› The person emigrated from Estonia at least 10 years ago or was born in a foreign country.

› The person has retained ties with the Estonian culture or is willing and wanting to join it.

› The person is in need of financial aid to return to Estonia due to his or her financial or social background.

Main reasons are family reunification and better living and work prospects.

Too restrictive?

Numbers of emigrants too small to significantly influence Estonia’s unemployment and the level of wages, though emigration might prove useful in case of high unemployment => No relevant studies. Numbers too small to assess impact?

Temporary emigration has positive aspects, such as increase in people’s knowledge and skills, plus remittances

Improvement of return rate Influence of permanent emigration is negative due

to the occurring brain drain, decrease in productivity and loss in investments through education