As many new e-residents as births in Estonia in 2021

Text Mark Taylor
Photo Renee Altrov

The number of e-residents of Estonia has risen by more than 12,000 in 2021 – a number incredibly close to the number of births recorded in the country this year. At present, there are nearly 90,000 e-residents of Estonia from 177 countries around the world.

This year, the majority of the new e-residents come from just 3 countries, Russia, Germany, and Spain. With nearly half of all new e-residents being from the European Union. 

According to Lauri Haav, head of the e-Residency scheme, “The coronavirus pandemic has spurred an unprecedented momentum towards the transition to teleworking, and e-residency is well-suited to empower all interested parties regarding this.”

The e-Residency programme, which was set up 7 years ago, provides foreign nationals with the possibility to access digital services offered in the Estonian e-governance ecosystem, such as the possibility to set up a business within a matter of minutes.

To date, around 20,000 companies have been set up by e-residents, creating a direct revenue for the Estonian state budget in excess of 80 million euros. 

Source ERR

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