The integration chapter of the Estonian Human Development Report 2026 notes that over the past three decades, the share of Russian native speakers has increased in Tallinn and Ida-Viru County, while declining in all other regions.

A similar ethnic concentration has taken place in specific parts of Tallinn, with Russian-speaking residents generally settling in neighborhoods where housing is more affordable. Ethnic Estonians are clearly in the majority in the city center and Põhja-Tallinn, while Russian speakers are concentrated in large apartment-block areas such as Lasnamäe.

According to the report, although integration policy has seen many successes, integration overall has progressed relatively slowly. One of the key reasons has been the sorting of children from an early age into language-based parallel systems through separate Estonian- and Russian-language kindergartens and schools.

In Tallinn, school choice is clearly linked to parental preference rather than a lack of options, as Estonian- and Russian-language schools are often located side by side or close to one another, allowing parents to choose the language of instruction for their children.

"In free Estonia, several generations of Russian-speaking young people have already completed their education, yet their school environment has not ensured strong Estonian-language skills and they often lack Estonian friends. This makes integration into Estonian society more difficult," the report states.

"As a result, young people who completed their secondary education in Russian are significantly more likely than their peers to see their future in another country. Of those who remain in Estonia, many are not competitive in the labor market due to limited language skills and professional networks," the authors conclude.

At the same time, a much higher share of ethnic Estonians hold senior positions as managers and top specialists. This means that Russian native speakers are often unable to choose the same types of residential areas as Estonians, simply because their incomes are lower.

Editor: Learning together benefits all of society

One of the report's editors, Tiit Tammaru, professor of urban and population geography at University of Tartu, said that because the majority of Russian native speakers live in a very limited area, joint schooling is more difficult, as schools — especially at the lower levels — are district-based.

According to Tammaru, parents see two major problems with Estonian- and Russian-speaking children studying together: they fear academic performance will decline if a significant number of Russian-speaking students join Estonian-language classes and they worry that children will be turned into tools of integration. In reality, however, the effects of joint schooling are positive.

"When we looked in this analysis at Russian-speaking youth in Tallinn who grew up in a Russian-language environment and compared those who went on to study alongside Estonians with those who continued studying only with peers of the same nationality, we saw that all life outcomes improved for the Russian youth who studied together with Estonians," Tammaru said.

He explained that their likelihood of obtaining higher education increased, as did their chances of securing better jobs and, in adulthood, living in the same neighborhoods as Estonians.

"There are many positive effects that joint schooling brings, especially for Russian youth," the report's editor noted.

If Estonia truly wants to build a cohesive and integrated society, Tammaru said, the transition to Estonian-language education was the first step. The next step should be to move toward more mixed classrooms where students from different backgrounds study together.

That would mean school choices should not be determined by where a family lives or by parents' income or language skills, but rather by the best interests of the child.

"Joint schooling is a goal we should set if we want every child to fully develop their abilities. Why does it work in terms of ethnicity? Because school is where values and friendships are formed and that influences later choices — even to the point that people may form families together," Tammaru explained.

Mihkel Solvak, associate professor of technology studies at the University of Tartu and also one of the report's editors, noted that parents are anxious because in the short term the transition to Estonian-language education may initially make the situation worse.

"That is entirely expected with a reform of this kind, but in the long term the impact is overwhelmingly positive," he said. "The report provides a more detailed summary of the consequences for health and the labor market, among other areas, and everywhere the effects are positive."

According to Solvak, one problem in Estonia is that while the country has excellent registries and the technical capacity to cross-use them, data protection rules prevent this. Allowing broader use would provide a more precise picture of the situation and lead to better impact assessments, which in turn could help generate greater patience among the public.

He added that because the reform transitioning to Estonian-language education is painful, there is a strong temptation to try to soften it — something already visible. In reality, however, major societal gains follow the initial difficulties. While the first two, three or even four years may be challenging, the following decades will be better for everyone.

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