e-Estonia

05.04.2012

"e-Estonia" is the term commonly used to describe Estonia's emergence as one of the most advanced e-societies in the world – an incredible success story that grew out of the partnership between a forward-thinking government, a pro-active ICT sector, and a switched-on, tech-savvy population. Thanks to this success, Estonians and the Estonian state enjoy a wide range of e-solutions that those living elsewhere can only dream about.

Key facts

77% of the population aged 16-74 years uses the internet (Statistics Estonia, 2011).
71% of households have internet capabilities (Statistics Estonia, 2011).
All Estonian schools are connected to the internet.
Rapid wi-fi internet connections are available in more than 1100 public places; in many places that service is free of charge. The area of wi-fi internet is constantly growing and encompasses all of Estonia.
98% of banking transactions in Estonia are conducted through the internet.
Income tax declarations can be made electronically via internet. In 2011, over 93% of income tax declarations were presented through the e-Tax Board.
Expenditures made by the government can be followed on the internet in real time.
Cabinet meetings have been changed to paperless sessions using a web-based document system.
There are more mobile phone contracts than residents - 139 per 100 people (Estonian Competition Authority, 2011).
Estonia is completely covered by digital mobile phone networks.