Number of Russian citizens in Estonia down 10% over five years
The number of Russian citizens in Estonia has dropped nearly 10 percent in five years, with a sharp decline in children holding Russian citizenship, official data shows.
As of October 31, 78,819 Russian citizens held a valid residence permit or right of residence in Estonia, Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) spokesperson Martin Raid told ERR.
By comparison, on December 31, 2021, 87,368 Russian citizens had a valid permit or right to reside in Estonia. This marks a decrease of 8,549 people or 9.78 percent over five years.
"It's not possible to say whether all of them actually live in Estonia," Raid noted.
The data also shows a significant drop in the number of Russian citizen children in Estonia. The number of Russian citizens aged four and under is now almost half that of those aged five to nine — a marked shift over the past five years.
Currently, nearly 90 percent of Russian citizens with the right of residence in Estonia are here on a long-term residence permit, totaling 70,601 individuals. Another 7,919 hold temporary residence permits, 126 have permanent residence rights and 173 hold temporary residence rights.
The number of Russian citizens granted temporary residence permits has also fallen sharply over the past five years. Since Russia launched its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Estonia has completely halted the issuance of residence permits for business or study purposes.
The number of Russian citizens acquiring Estonian citizenship through naturalization peaked in 2023. This year and last, the figure has been significantly lower.
Most Russian citizens living in Tallinn or Ida-Viru cities
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the highest number of Russian citizens in Estonia live in Tallinn where, as of the morning of November 26, 30,836 people holding Russian passports were registered.
In Narva, 17,121 Russian citizens reside, followed by 6,795 in Kohtla-Järve and 4,427 in Sillamäe.
In proportional terms, however, Sillamäe has the highest share of Russian citizens at 37.4 percent, followed by Narva at 32.9 percent and Kohtla-Järve at 21.5 percent. In Tallinn, Russian citizens make up 6.7 percent of the population.
The fewest Russian citizens are registered in Hiiu County, with just four. Saare County has 57, Põlva County 89 and Viljandi County 117.
--
Editor: Mait Ots, Marcus Turovski
