If you lived in Estonia instead of Russia, you would:

Health

live 5.9 years longer

In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 16.8% more spent on your healthcare

Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Estonia spends $3,741 as of 2024.

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be 30.1% less likely to die by suicide

Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 15.4% more likely to be obese

In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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have 32.1% fewer doctors per person

Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Estonia has 34.7 as of 2022.

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Economy

make 96.1% more money

Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $34,418 as of 2025.

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be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Estonia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

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be 3.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Russia, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Estonia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.

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Life

be 44.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Russia, approximately 9.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 63.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Russia, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Estonia, on the other hand, 1.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 15.5% fewer children

In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 25.2% more on education

Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Estonia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 11.4% more on healthcare

Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 89.9% less coastline

Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.

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Safety

be 77.3% less likely to be murdered

Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 58.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Estonia, they kill 4.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 17.0% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In Russia, 90% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Estonia, that number is 75% as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 30.3% more home broadband

Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Estonia has 35.4 as of 2024.

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live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water

Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Estonia withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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use 27.3% less electricity

Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Estonia uses 5,298 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 66.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Estonia, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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emit 44.5% less CO2

Russia emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Estonia emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Estonia: At a glance

Estonia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 42,388 sq km. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004, formally joined the OECD in late 2010, and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2011.
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How big is Estonia compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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