Estonia's population measured at 1,331,824 according to 2021 census

The number of people residing permanently in Estonia in 2021 was 1,331,824. Photo: Dmitri Kotjuh

Based on the EU population and housing census, a total of 443.2 million people lived in the European Union in 2021, whereas the number of people residing permanently in Estonia in the same year was 1,331,824.

According to preliminary results by Eurostat, the five EU states with the largest population were Germany with 83.2 million people, France with 67.9 million, Italy with 59 million, Spain with 47.4 million and Poland with 37 million people, Statistics Estonia said on Friday.

The smallest EU member states by area were Malta with 500,000 people, Luxembourg with 600,000 people and Cyprus with 900,000 people. The latter three also have the smallest populations in the EU.

Eurostat published the preliminary population data on a grid distributing the territory of the European Union into 4.4 million cells each with an area one square kilometer.

«According to the population census data, less than half of them, or 1.8 million cells were populated while 2.6 million were inhabited. Spain and Sweden had the most inhabited areas,» leading analyst at Statistics Estonia Terje Trasberg said.

Across the EU NUTS 3 regions, the largest number of residents was recorded in the region of Madrid, 6.7 million people, followed by the region of Barcelona, 5.7 million, and the region of Rome, 4.2 million. Meanwhile, the smallest number of residents was recorded in the Spanish region of El Hierro, 11,290, followed by the Greek region of Evrytania, 17,428, and the Austrian region of Lungau, 20,164.

Compared with the 2011 population and housing census, the 2021 preliminary results show population growth in 16 EU countries, among which the largest changes were in Luxembourg, 26 percent, Malta, 24 percent, and Sweden, 10 percent. At the same time, the population decreased in nine EU countries, with the largest drops being recorded in Bulgaria, -11 percent, Croatia, -10 percent, Latvia, -9 percent, and Lithuania, -8 percent.

«Unlike Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia is among the countries that have seen an increase in their population. According to the census, there are 2.9 percent more permanent residents in our country than a decade ago. The number of different ethnicities, nationalities, native languages and countries of birth has grown, as has the number of Estonians,» Trasberg added.

Compared with the 2011 population and housing census, data at NUTS 3 level broadly show increases in population in the west and the north of the EU and decreases in the east and the south. The largest increases in population were recorded in the Romanian region of Ilfov, 40 percent, the German region of Wartburgkreis, 27 percent, Luxembourg, 26 percent, the Maltese region of Gozo and Comino and the French region of Guyane, each 25 percent, and Malta, 24 percent.

Meanwhile, the largest regional decreases in population compared with 2011 were experienced in Bulgarian and Croatian regions with 18 regions recording a decrease in population between -17 percent and -25 percent.

Typically, every 10 years, a census counts the entire population and housing stock of a given country at a given moment in time. The census provides statistical information, ranging from the lowest geographical divisions covering small areas, to the national and international levels.