Commenting on the results, Krista Vaikmets, lead analyst at Statistics Estonia, said wage growth had been stable at 5 to 6 percent, but with slight regional variations.

"Year on year, wages have increased in all counties, with the greatest increase registered in Rapla and Järva counties, where the rise in gross wages and salaries was about 7 percent. The increase in average monthly wages was the smallest in Viljandi and Tartu counties — about 5 percent," Vaikmets continued.

In Q1 2026 average monthly gross wages and salaries were again the highest in Harju County (at €2,405 per month gross), rising by 6.3 percent year on year, as well as in Tartu County (€2,129), which represented a 5.3-percent growth on year.

Wages in the capital rose too, Vaikmets noted. "Looking at the statistics for Tallinn city, the average gross wages earned in the capital rose to €2,538, up from €2,384 a year ago."

The changes in gross monthly wages do not reflect the impact of the basic exemption — the income tax-free threshold — which was hiked this year. The reason for this is the hike mainly concerns employees' net income, Statistics Estonia said.

Average wages again highest in information and communication

Vaikmets noted that in Q1 2026 there were three economic activities where average monthly gross wages and salaries exceed the €3,000-mark. "In the first quarter of 2026, average monthly wages and salaries were the highest in information and communication — €3,821. This was followed by financial and insurance activities with €3,608, and electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply with €3,132," Vaikmets continued.

At the other end of the scale, the lowest average wages and salaries were registered in accommodation and food service activities (at €1,337 per month gross) and other service activities (€1,389 a month). "Nevertheless, there has been a roughly 4 percent wage growth in these activities as well," Vaikmets added.

Wages and salaries in the energy sector showed the biggest growth year on year: Compared with Q1 2025, wages were up by 15.4 percent in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, and by 11.2 percent in the agricultural sector.

In the other major sectors — manufacturing (up by 7.4 percent), trade (which rose by 5.5 percent) and construction (which saw an increase of 6.5 percent) — average gross wages and salaries all rose on year to Q1 2026.

Average monthly gross wages and salaries are calculated as the ratio between payment and labor contribution.

Employment

A total of 580,099 were employed in Q1 2026 in Estonia, down by 5,000 from the same period in 2025. The largest single category of employees by number, at 100,489 in Q1 2026, worked in manufacturing, representing a total of 17 percent of all employees. This category was followed by wholesale and retail trade (including the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles), which employed 84,004 people; then came education with 64,203 employees, and human health and social work activities with 48,265 employees.

Median wage rose 5 percent on year to Q1 2026

The median wage in Estonia stood at €1,753 in Q1 2026, a rise of 6 percent on year.

The median of gross wages is that wage level at which half of the employees earn less than that sum, while half earn more than it.

Median wages demonstrated much the same growth pattern as average monthly gross wages, Statistics Estonia reported.

"The growth trend for median wages is the same as for average gross monthly wages, both regionally and by economic activity," Vaikmets said on this.

Statistics Estonia used data from the Tax and Customs Board (MTA) in compiling the above survey.

More detailed information is available from Statistics Estonia's site here and here.

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