Estonia's prisoner numbers still falling
At the start of 2026, there were 1,618 inmates in Estonian prisons — 37 fewer than at the same time last year, data from the Prison Service shows.
Estonia has approximately 3,000 prison beds in total, meaning 54 percent of them are currently occupied.
Tallinn Prison has a total capacity of 1,292, of which 886 are currently filled.
At Viru Prison, more than half of the beds are empty, with just 424 of its 993 spots occupied.
Tartu Prison has 998 beds, of which 308 are in use, meaning just over 30 percent of its capacity is filled.
According to Kirsi Pruudel, head of media relations at Tallinn Prison, inmates are assigned to different prisons based on factors such as gender, age and reason for incarceration.
For example, Pruudel said all female inmates are held at Tallinn Prison, while minors are placed at Viru Prison. Inmates are also generally assigned to the prison closest to their place of residence.
As of early 2026, there are six minors in custody in Estonian prisons.
Last year, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs proposed that Estonia could fill its otherwise vacant prison beds with inmates from Sweden. A prison rental agreement between Estonia and Sweden is currently undergoing ratification in both countries. In Estonia, the agreement has passed its first reading in the Riigikogu, with ratification planned for the spring.
According to Pruudel, the first foreign inmates are expected to arrive in Estonia in the second half of this year.
The number of inmates in Estonia has dropped significantly over the past decade. At the end of 2015, there were 2,921 people in custody in the country's prisons.
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Editor: Märten Hallismaa, Marcus Turovski
