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In a recent blog post by Statistics Estonia analysts Triinu Aug<\/strong> and Mirjam Jesmin<\/strong>. A deep dive into the statistics from the 2021 census has revealed that the number of highly educated foreigners in Estonia has increased, and the percentage of foreigners with a higher education is growing faster than the native population.<\/span><\/p>\n Data from the 2021 Estonian census revealed that 18% of the native Estonian-speaking population aged 25 and over have a basic education (or less), 43% have secondary education (or vocational education after secondary education), and 39% have higher education (or secondary specialised education after secondary education). Native Russian speakers had a slightly higher proportion with at least a secondary education as a result of only 11 per cent having just a basic education, but similar higher education statistics. However, among foreign nationals of a different mother tongue living in Estonia, 64% have higher education, and only 8% have basic education.<\/span><\/p>\n A basic education in Estonia is up until 9<\/span>th<\/span> grade. Those graduating 9<\/span>th<\/span> grade are 16 years of age.<\/span><\/p>\n All of these figures show an increase in educational attainment compared to previous censuses of the population. In the Estonian population, the proportion of people with just a basic education has fallen by 13.5 per cent since the 2000 census. In native Russian speakers, this has fallen by 11.2 per cent. However, among foreign nationals with a different mother tongue in Estonia, this has fallen by 25.6 per cent. <\/span><\/p>\n At the same time, the number of foreign nationals in Estonia with just a secondary education has also fallen, down by 10 per cent. This contrasts with no change among Estonian and Russian speakers in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n