Estonia
Government finance and cost-of-living data from Eurostat — spending, debt, tax, and comparative prices.
Headline stats
Government debt
24.1% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 81.7% GDP (2025)
Govt expenditure
44% GDP
2024
Budget deficit
2% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 3.1% GDP (2025)
Tax revenue
14% GDP
2025
Public sector jobs
160k
2025
Tax rates
What Estonia takes — statutory rates and effective burden on workers.
Labour tax wedge
23.3% of labour cost
2025
Top income tax rate
22%
2024
Corporate tax rate
22%
2024
Standard VAT rate
22%
2024
Labour tax wedge: effective % of gross labour cost (salary + employer contributions) going to income tax and social contributions for a single person at average wage. Source: Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate. Statutory rates: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 / EC Taxation Trends 2024.
Comparative prices
Estonia is 8.6% cheaper than the EU average overall (2024). Index: EU27 = 100.
| Category | Price index | vs EU avg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level | 91.4 | -8.6% |
| Food & non-alcoholic drinks | 106.2 | +6.2% |
| Housing, utilities & energy | 97.4 | -2.6% |
| Restaurants & hotels | 98.3 | -1.7% |
| Transport | 95.6 | -4.4% |
| Health | 88.4 | -11.6% |
| Education | 83.3 | -16.7% |
| Clothing & footwear | 116.9 | +16.9% |
| Recreation & culture | 102.1 | +2.1% |
| Alcohol & tobacco | 105.0 | +5.0% |
| Household furnishings | 101.3 | +1.3% |
| Communication | 108.9 | +8.9% |
| Miscellaneous | 95.9 | -4.1% |
Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind. EU27_2020 = 100. Green = cheaper than EU average.
Government debt since 2011
| Year | Debt (% GDP) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7.6 | — |
| 2012 | 11.1 | +3.5 |
| 2013 | 11.4 | +0.3 |
| 2014 | 11.6 | +0.2 |
| 2015 | 10.8 | -0.8 |
| 2016 | 10.2 | -0.6 |
| 2017 | 9.4 | -0.8 |
| 2018 | 8.5 | -0.9 |
| 2019 | 9 | +0.5 |
| 2020 | 19.1 | +10.1 |
| 2021 | 18.4 | -0.7 |
| 2022 | 19.2 | +0.8 |
| 2023 | 20.2 | +1 |
| 2024 | 23.5 | +3.3 |
| 2025 | 24.1 | +0.6 |
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Data sources
| Dataset | Source | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Govt expenditure / debt / deficit | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | 1995–2025 |
| Tax revenue | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 1995–2025 |
| Public employment (NACE O-Q) | Eurostat nama_10_a64_e | 1995–2024 |
| Tax breakdown (VAT, income, social) | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 2000–2023 |
| Labour tax wedge | Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate | 2000–2023 |
| Statutory tax rates (income, corporate, VAT) | OECD / EC Taxation Trends 2024 | 2024 |
| Comparative price levels (13 categories) | Eurostat prc_ppp_ind | 1995–2024 |