Development Co‑operation Profiles: Estonia
Table of contents
Estonia’s development co-operation seeks to contribute to global security and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Estonia focuses its development co‑operation on partner countries in its neighbourhood, with a strong emphasis on Ukraine, and a small number of selected priority partners in sub-Saharan Africa. Its development co-operation is widely recognised for drawing on Estonia’s expertise in digital technology and education. Estonia’s total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 89.5 million, preliminary data) decreased in 2025, representing 0.19% of gross national income (GNI).
This profile presents verified data on Estonia’s development assistance allocations. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
The Estonian Foreign Policy Strategy 2030 signals Estonia’s growing contribution to global sustainable development as an objective of its foreign policy. The success of Estonia’s development co-operation and humanitarian assistance are central to one of its three pillars of foreign policy: security, stability of international relations and sustainable development. The government’s Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Strategy 2024-2030 upholds Estonia’s continuous support to existing priority partner countries in the Eastern Partnership region, in particular Ukraine. Thematic priorities include strengthening governance and human rights, promoting quality education, contributing to economic development, empowering civil society, and ensuring peace and stability. The strategy reiterates Estonia’s commitment to reach the 0.33% ODA/GNI target by 2030. Estonia’s regional Strategy for Africa for 2020-2030 focuses primarily on digital transformation, e-governance, innovation and the green transition.
Estonia is one of the founders of the European Union’s (EU) Digital4Development Hub and is actively involved in EU support for the digitalisation of Ukraine. Since 2022, Estonia has significantly increased its development and humanitarian aid to Ukraine to mitigate the consequences of the Russian Federation’s aggression and support reform.
Estonia’s first mid-term review took place in 2026. The mid-term review noted progress on consolidating its development co‑operation framework and sharpening strategic priorities thanks to a greater geographic and thematic focus, as well as on strengthening implementation capacity (notably through ESTDEV) since Estonia’s accession to the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2023. It recommended addressing growing resource and capacity constraints, moving beyond one-year funding cycles, strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, and further clarifying longer‑term strategic priorities beyond Ukraine while enhancing coordination and stakeholder engagement.
Discover insights from Estonia’s 2026 mid-term review (link forthcoming). Learn from Estonia’s practices in Development Co-operation Tools Insights Practices.
Estonia provided USD 89.5 million (preliminary data) of ODA in 2025 (USD 82 million in constant terms), representing 0.19% of GNI.1 This was a decrease of 2% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2024. Estonia is making progress towards its European-level commitment to reach a 0.33% ODA/GNI ratio by 2030. Total ODA on a grant-equivalent basis has the same value as net ODA under the cash-flow methodology used in the past, as Estonia provides only grants.
In 2025, Estonia ranked 33rd among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members in terms of ODA volume and 23rd when ODA is taken as a share of GNI. In-donor refugee costs dropped significantly in 2024 (USD 2.5 million), following a peak over 2022 and 2023 due to an unprecedented volume of Ukrainian refugees in Estonia.
Estonia is committed to several international targets and DAC standards and recommendations. Learn more about DAC Recommendations.
Notes: This table only includes information about ODA data-related DAC recommendations. ODA: official development assistance; GNI: gross national income; DAC: Development Assistance Committee.
Estonia provided most of its ODA multilaterally in 2024. Gross bilateral ODA was 36.9% of total ODA disbursements, while 6.1% was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2024, Estonia provided USD 54.7 million of gross ODA to the multilateral system, a fall of 1% in real terms from 2023. Of this, USD 52.8 million was core multilateral ODA (63.1% of total ODA), while USD 1.9 million was non-core contributions earmarked for a specific country, region, theme or purpose. Project-type funding earmarked for a specific theme and/or country accounted for 10.4% of Estonia’s non‑core contributions, and 89.6% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds). The European institutions (USD 48.2 million) are by far Estonia’s main multilateral partner.
The United Nations (UN) system received 5.6% of Estonia’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 1 million (31.9%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 3.1 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Estonia’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were the UN Secretariat (USD 700 thousand), UN Peacekeeping Operations (USD 300 thousand) and the World Health Organisation (USD 200 thousand).
See the section on Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system.
Learn more by exploring the DAC members’ use of the multilateral system dashboard.
In 2024, Estonia’s bilateral spending declined compared to the previous year. It provided USD 30.9 million of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented a decrease of 50% in real terms from 2023.
In 2024, country programmable aid amounted to USD 17.3 million, or 55.8% of Estonia’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 46.5%.
Estonia’s in-donor refugee costs amounted to USD 2.5 million (8.2% of gross bilateral ODA) in 2024, while humanitarian aid was USD 2.4 million, or 6.2% of gross bilateral ODA.
In 2024, Estonia channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through public sector and NGOs. Technical co‑operation made up 1.3% of gross ODA in 2024.
In 2024, civil society organisations (CSOs) received USD 4.8 million of gross bilateral ODA, of which 3.6% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 0.2% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions and 15.3% was channelled through CSOs to implement projects initiated by the donor (earmarked funding). From 2023 to 2024, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs increased as a share of bilateral ODA, from 7.2% to 15.5%.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid and by exploring the ODA to civil society organisations dashboard.
In 2024, Estonia’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on ODA-eligible countries in Europe. USD 16 million was allocated to ODA-eligible countries in Europe (of which 92% for Ukraine) and USD 2 million to Asia (excluding the Middle East), accounting respectively for 51.7% and 6.5% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 1.7 million was allocated to countries in Africa. Europe was also the main regional recipient of Estonia’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations. Estonia’s particular focus on countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is in line with its overall policy and geographic priorities.
In 2024, 62.7% of gross bilateral ODA went to Estonia’s top 10 recipients. Its top 10 recipients are in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Estonia’s top four recipients are in Europe, in line with its focus on its immediate neighbourhood and support for the reconstruction of Ukraine as a policy priority. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 35.2%, of which 23.4% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2024, Estonia allocated 0.02% of its GNI to the least developed countries (LDCs). Estonia allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (50.7%) to lower middle-income countries in 2024, noting that 35.2% was unallocated by income group. LDCs received 2.1% of Estonia’s gross bilateral ODA (USD 600 000). Additionally, Estonia allocated 7.6% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2024, equal to USD 2.3 million.
The distribution of Estonia’s ODA in net terms in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”2 was USD 0.1 in lower middle-income countries (LMICs) and USD 0.1 in upper middle-income countries.
In 2025, Estonia provided USD 22.1 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a 37.7% increase from 2024 in real terms. USD 1.6 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2025, a 7.8% decrease in real terms from 2024.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 1.7 million in 2024, representing 5.5% of Estonia’s gross bilateral ODA. Of this ODA, 36.5% was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, a decrease from 48.3% in 2023, while 2.1% was allocated to peace, a decrease from 10.3% in 2023. Conflict prevention, a subset of contributions to peace, represented 0.4% of gross bilateral ODA, decreasing from 6.4% in 2023.
Learn more about the States of Fragility platform.
In 2024, more than half of Estonia’s bilateral ODA was allocated to social infrastructure and services. Investments in this area accounted for 53.6% of bilateral ODA commitments (USD 20.7 million), with a strong focus on support to education (USD 7.1 million), other social infrastructure and services (USD 6.1 million) and government and civil society (USD 5.9 million). ODA for other macro sectors totalled USD 10.1 million, with a focus on administrative costs of donors (USD 6.8 million). Economic infrastructure and services amounted to USD 3.7 million (9.6% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on economic sectors and other macro sectors in 2024.
In the period 2023-2024, Estonia committed 4.2% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment compared to 8.9% in 2021-2022 and a DAC average of 48.2% in 2023-2024. This is equal to USD 900 thousand of screened bilateral allocable ODA in support of gender equality on average per year. In addition:
The share of screened bilateral allocable ODA committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment as a principal objective was 3.2% in 2023-2024, compared with the DAC average of 4.2%.
Estonia includes gender equality objectives in 4% of ODA for humanitarian aid, below the 2023‑2024 DAC average of 21.5%.
Estonia screens the majority of bilateral allocable ODA against the DAC gender equality policy marker (91.6% in 2023-2024).
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance and the DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation in Development Co-operation, and by exploring the development finance for gender equality dashboard.
In 2023-2024, Estonia committed 8.8% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 2.1 million) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, up from 8.5% in 2021-2022. The DAC average was 39%. In addition:
8.3% of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 11.2%.
8.7% of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 2.1 million) focused on climate change overall (the DAC average was 35.4%), up from 5.2% in 2021-2022.
11.1% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 1 million) focused on biodiversity overall (the DAC average was 8.6%), up from 0.8% in 2021-2022.
1% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 100 thousand) focused on desertification overall (the DAC average was 4.2%).
Learn more about the DAC Declaration on Aligning Development Co-operation with the Goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
In 2024, Estonia:
Allocated 3.3% of its bilateral ODA (USD 1 million) to core poverty-reducing sectors as defined by SDG 1.a.1. This indicator captures grants to basic social services (such as basic health and education, water supply and sanitation, multisector aid for basic social services) and development food aid. In addition, 1.4% of bilateral ODA (USD 400 000) went to social protection support. Learn more by exploring the Reducing poverty and inequalities through ODA data explainer.
Does not seek exemptions regarding the payment of local tax and customs duties for ODA-funded goods and services. It does not have a general policy nor does it make information available on the OECD Digital Transparency Hub on the Tax Treatment of ODA.
Committed USD 4.9 million (16.9% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2024. Learn more by exploring the Aid for Trade dashboard.
In 2024, total official and private flows from Estonia to developing countries amounted to USD 342.4 million in net terms. Official sources accounted for USD 83.7 million, while USD 258.6 million originated from private sources.
Total official support for sustainable development (TOSSD) is an international statistical standard that monitors and increases the transparency of all official and officially supported resources for financing the SDGs received by developing countries (Pillar 1) and for addressing global challenges (Pillar 2). In 2024, activities reported by Estonia as TOSSD totalled USD 88 million, marking a 26% decrease compared with the previous year. Estonia’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals), SDG 1 (no poverty) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).
Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the key institution responsible for managing and co-ordinating Estonian development co-operation and humanitarian assistance, as stipulated by the Government of the Republic Act. Estonia’s development co-operation system was significantly reorganised within the framework of the development co-operation reform in 2020-2022. The reorganisation streamlined and improved the effectiveness of development co-operation administration by separating policymaking from implementation. It also established clear lines of authority and delineated roles within the system. As part of this reform, the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) was established in 2021. ESTDEV is a state foundation that co-ordinates Estonia’s international development co-operation. In 2025, ESTDEV passed the European Commission’s six-pillar assessment, authorising it to manage and implement EU external funding. The Ministry of Finance is mainly responsible for Estonia’s development co-operation contributions to international financial institutions.
In 2023, Estonia had 12 staff based in Estonia and 3 locally employed staff working for the Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 28 staff working at ESTDEV in headquarters and 4 in partner countries. Five Estonian staff members are on missions to Brussels, Geneva, New York and Paris and are also working on development co-operation. These numbers do not include staff working part time on development co-operation across the government.
An important consultation mechanism is the Development Co-operation Advisory Council, which brings together stakeholders from civil society, the private sector and academia. The council’s first meeting took place in October 2024 and it has met three times since. CSOs active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education co-ordinate through the Roundtable for Development Cooperation as an umbrella body.
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development placed a renewed emphasis on strengthening the effectiveness of all forms of development co-operation by upholding and elevating the Effectiveness Principles. Adherence to these principles is measured through the partner country-led monitoring exercise of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC).
Estonia participated in the 2023-2026 monitoring round through its reporting to one partner county, the Republic of Moldova. Its results can be found here.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the delivery of Estonia’s development co-operation. The table below highlights select features.
Access the full list of development co-operation providers at: Development Co-operation Profiles.
Estonian Center for International Development: https://www.estdev.ee/?lang=en.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia: https://vm.ee/en.
Roundtable for Development Cooperation (AKÜ): https://www.terveilm.ee/leht/english.
Estonia has been a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 2023.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable ODA, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
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← 1. DAC members adopted the grant-equivalent methodology starting from their reporting of 2018 data as a more accurate way to count the donor effort in development loans. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 2. Aid per person in extreme poverty is calculated by dividing net ODA (bilateral and imputed multilateral) by the population in extreme poverty in each country. It estimates how much ODA each person in extreme poverty would receive if total ODA was divided evenly among the extreme poor. This metric does not measure the amount of ODA actually received by each person in extreme poverty, nor does it measure how much ODA goes to poverty reduction. It instead highlights patterns in total ODA allocations relative to the number of people living in extreme poverty in each country. Group averages are calculated based on a weighted average of aid per person in extreme poverty and the number of people in extreme poverty for each country in the group. See the methodological notes for further details.