Estonian population and regional development during the last 30 years—back to the small town?

ABSTRACT

This article reviews the socioeconomic factors that have shaped Estonia's regional population development during the last 30 years. In the 1990s, primary and secondary industries declined and massive urbanization started, depopulating rural and old industrial areas while suburban sprawl developed around the capital Tallinn. Urban growth accelerated in the 2000s, and the 2008 global financial crisis prompted migration from the peripheries. Since 2015, Estonia's population has been growing thanks to returning emigrants and new immigrants. Recent years have witnessed the spread effect and spatial oscillation boosted by COVID-19 and the Ukrainian war. Additionally, a growing number of people live temporarily in multiple places, including remote rural localities.