Estonians
Countries with significant Estonian population and descendants. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 1.1 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Estonia 925,892 (2023) Other significant population centers: | |
| Finland | 49,590–100,000 |
| United States | 29,128 |
| Sweden | 25,509 |
| Canada | 24,000 |
| United Kingdom | 10,000–15,000 |
| Russia | 7,778 |
| Australia | 7,543 |
| Germany | 6,286 |
| Norway | 5,092 |
| Ukraine | 2,868 |
| Ireland | 2,560 |
| Belgium | 2,000 |
| Denmark | 1,691 |
| Latvia | 1,676 |
| Italy | 1,589 |
| Netherlands | 1,482 |
| Languages | |
| Primarily Estonian also Võro and Seto | |
| Religion | |
| Majority irreligious Historically Protestant Christian (Lutheranism) Currently Lutheran and regional Eastern Orthodox (Estonian Apostolic Orthodox) minority | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Finnic peoples | |
Estonians or Estonian people (Estonian: eestlased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, primarily their nation state of Estonia.
Estonians primarily speak the Estonian language, a language closely related to other Finnic languages, e.g. Finnish, Karelian and Livonian. Estonians can also be classified into subgroups according to dialects (e.g. Võros, Setos), although such divisions have become less pronounced due to internal migration and rapid urbanisation in Estonia in the 20th century.
There are approximately 1.1 million ethnic Estonians worldwide, with the majority of them residing in their native Estonia. Estonian diaspora communities formed primarily in Finland, the United States, Sweden, Canada, and the United Kingdom.