Anti‑Corruption and Integrity Outlook 2026: Estonia
Table of contents
In 2012, Estonia adopted the Anti-Corruption Act to address corruption across all areas of public service, including government, law enforcement, and other public sector institutions. This framework is further supported by the Civil Service Act, which establishes standards on integrity and ethics. Building on these foundations, the government adopted the Anti-Corruption Action Plan 2021-2025, followed by several annual activity reports subsequently published. The Action Plan, in turn, covers areas such as transparency in state and local government activities, promotion of a fair business environment, investigation of corruption offences, and assessment of the impact of anti-corruption policies.
At the institutional level, responsibility for anti-corruption policy rests with the Ministry of Justice, which leads and coordinates its implementation. Meanwhile, specific central government bodies oversee related areas, including lobbying (Ministry of Justice), open data policy (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications), political finance (Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee), and conflict-of-interest (Ministry of Finance). In addition, the Data Protection Inspectorate serves as the supervisory authority for public information matters.
Note: 2025 and 2020 data or latest year available. Data for judicial integrity, prosecutorial integrity and disciplinary system are not available.
Source: OECD Public Integrity Indicators Database (data extracted on 7 March 2026).
Data on where Estonia’s integrity system is strongest and could be most improved can be found at the link below:
Note: 2025 data or latest year available.
Source: OECD Public Integrity Indicators Database (data extracted on 7 March 2026).
Estonia fulfils 60% of criteria on the strength of strategic framework, and 63% on practice, compared to the OECD average of 38% and 32%, respectively.
Estonia’s public integrity strategy is grounded in a structured and evidence-based approach. It draws on multiple sources of information, including international benchmarks such as the Corruption Perceptions Index, as well as staff and business surveys, and is based on comprehensive assessments identifying key integrity risks, relevant actors, and their likelihood and impact.
The strategy was developed in close collaboration with civil society organisations and other non-state actors, reflecting a commitment to inclusive policy design. It sets out objectives to mitigate risks in areas such as internal control, public procurement, and fraud prevention across the public sector, as well as in selected sectors including healthcare, welfare, and the environment.
Implementation is supported by detailed action plans that designate lead organisations and include estimates of both capital and operational expenditures, strengthening the link between policy objectives and resources. Annual monitoring reports are publicly available and present the status of individual activities, enabling the calculation of the overall rate of implementation. This demonstrates tangible progress in strengthening the transparency and measurability of the framework. However, the strategy does not contain outcome-level indicators to assess the broader impact of implemented measures.
Note: 2025 data or latest year available.
Source: OECD Public Integrity Indicators Database (data extracted on 7 March 2026).
Estonia fulfils 80% of criteria on lobbying regulations, and 78% on practice, compared to the OECD average of 43% and 38%, respectively.
Estonia has developed a code of conduct outlining good practices for communication with lobbyists. While data on meetings between lobbyists and government officials are collected and published, the information does not include details on lobbying budgets or expenses and only occasionally identifies the specific legislation or regulation targeted. Moreover, there have been no investigations into non-compliance, as lobbying is currently regulated through guidelines rather than primary legislation.
Progress in this area reflects developments in the broader transparency and ownership framework. An official register of beneficial ownership of corporate entities has now been established and is operational, replacing earlier arrangements under which such information was not fully accessible. This development enhances the transparency of private sector influence on public decision-making and complements existing measures on the disclosure of lobbyist interactions.
Note: 2025 data or latest year available.
Source: OECD Public Integrity Indicators Database (data extracted on 7 March 2026).
Estonia fulfils 89% of criteria on conflict-of-interest regulations, and 56% on practice, compared to the OECD average of 80% and 45% respectively.
Estonia’s regulations, including the Civil Service Act and the Anti-Corruption Act, define conflict-of-interest situations and establish procedures and responsibilities for managing them across different levels of government. The regulations also require the submission of interest declarations upon entry into public office by members of the government, parliament, the highest bodies of the judiciary, and top-tier civil servants of the executive branch, although this requirement does not extend to public employees in high-risk positions.
Implementation of these requirements shows progress through strengthened monitoring of compliance with declaration obligations. Submission rates between 2022 and 2024 were consistently high across the main categories of officials concerned. While submission rates are centrally reported for these groups, comprehensive information on the verification of declarations and the application of sanctions was not available.
Note: 2025 data or latest year available.
Source: OECD Public Integrity Indicators Database (data extracted on 7 March 2026).
Estonia fulfils 80% of criteria on political finance regulations, and 71% on practice, compared to the OECD average of 76% and 58%, respectively.
Political finance is regulated and monitored by the Political Parties Financial Surveillance Committee. The regulatory framework establishes personal liability for electoral candidates who breach the rules, provides for proportionate sanctions, and prohibits anonymous donations as well as contributions from foreign states, enterprises, and publicly owned entities. It also sets out comprehensive reporting obligations and mandates the public disclosure of party finances.
In practice, these requirements are effectively implemented, with all parties represented in parliament submitting their financial reports within the statutory deadlines. The reports are also publicly accessible through a single online platform in a user-friendly format. The Committee does not currently publish information on the number of cases concerning breaches of political finance regulations, the number of investigations conducted, or types of sanctions imposed.
Note: 2025 data or latest year available.
Source: OECD Public Integrity Database (data extracted on 7 March 2026).
Estonia fulfils 89% of criteria on public information regulations, and 81% on practice, compared to the OECD average of 72% and 62%, respectively.
Estonia has an advanced public information framework. The Data Protection Inspectorate supervises access to public information, carrying out inspections and issuing sanctions in cases of non-compliance. Key integrity-related datasets are proactively published, including agendas and minutes of government sessions, consolidated versions of primary laws, salaries of senior civil servants, public tenders, business and land registries, and records of meetings between elected officials and interest representatives. However, no information was provided on the public availability of conflict-of-interest and asset declarations for elected officials, members of the judiciary, or senior civil servants.
Further progress in this area is reflected in developments within the open data framework. While earlier arrangements focused primarily on general access to public sector information, the current framework ensures the identification and mandatory publication of high-value datasets in line with EU open data rules.
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This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
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The full book is available in English: OECD (2026), Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook 2026: Harnessing the Integrity Advantage, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/16708b78-en.
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