ERR News – New figures from Statistics Estonia show that 5,294 people moved out of the country last year, about 14 percent more than in 2009. At the same time, immigration dropped to 2,810, down from last year's decade high of 3,880.
The emigration figure, which represents 0.4 percent of the population, is generally in line with numbers seen since Estonia joined the EU in 2004. These range between 4,300 to 5,500 emigrants per year.
The vast majority of those who left Estonia last year, 3,475, were headed for Finland. But Estonia made up for part of the loss with immigration from Finland, which totaled 1,020.
The United Kingdom was the second most popular destination for outward migration in 2010, though Brits have no cause to be worried about being overrun by Estonian hoards – just 260 arrived on their shores last year. Meanwhile, 108 people from the UK settled in Estonia.
Estonia's eastern neighbor Russia played a significant role in immigration, with 622 Russians moving to Estonia last year, the second highest number after the Finns. Those migrating in the opposite direction totaled 246.
