Statistics Estonia presents today, on 26 July, the publication «Eesti statistika aastaraamat 2013. Statistical Yearbook of Estonia», which provides an overview of the life in Estonia last year in comparison with earlier years and in other European Union countries.
If the Yearbook integrates the annual overviews of environment, population, social and economic fields into one volume, then the presentation of Statistics Estonia focuses on two subjects.
Principal Analyst Mr Siim Krusell will present an overview of the changes having taken place in the social life of Estonia in 2012.
«As positive changes are concerned, it can be mentioned that in 2012 unemployment decreased and real wages (salaries) continued moderate growth. The rate of economic growth declined, but economic indicators still continued improving,» Mr Krusell remarked. He added that at the same time concern about population processes became more acute as the number of deaths exceeded the number of births once again and the number of persons emigrating from Estonia was bigger than that of persons immigrating to Estonia.
«In spite of the favourable development on labour and wages markets, the difference in income with the main migration destination countries is still two- or threefold, which in turn can influence significantly also the migration processes of the following years,» the Principal Analyst explained. With regard to immigrants, a detailed analysis also reveals more positive trends. «In 2012, nearly 3,000 persons out of 4,244 who had come to live in Estonia had Estonian citizenship. It can be said that we have to deal to a great extent with remigration, which is also proved by the fact that the birth country of over 2,000 persons was Estonia,» Mr Krusell ended with more positive tones.
Director General Mr Andres Oopkaup will speak about the 2011 Population Census and compare the population processes in Estonia with the corresponding processes in the other countries of the European Union. Mr Oopkaup remarked that the data collected during the Population Census equalled nearly 90 encyclopaedia volumes. «A thorough and very detailed dataset for the analysis of the society is ready, now Statistics Estonia encourages analysts, planners of the development of society and decision makers to use these data actively,» Mr Oopkaup emphasised. Mr Oopkaup remarked that concerned tone is often used while speaking about population development in Estonia and there is a reason for that, but compared to other European Union countries there are also positive developments in population trends of Estonia.
«If to compare the growth rate of lengthening the life expectancy in the period between the two population censuses, Estonia is the most successful country in the European Union where the life expectancy at birth has lengthened the most,» he said. «Estonia is also among the first three countries in Europe where the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births is the lowest,» Mr Oopkaup added.