Commercial Brief

As on 5 June 2025

 

Embassy of India
Tallinn

Commercial Brief

Estonia is a small Baltic country (45,228 sq km) with a population of 1.3 million which is very open to the outside world. It attracts foreign investors with its good business environment, location and cost-competitive labour. It is known for innovation and research, especially in information and communications technology (ICT). Estonia has made great strides in e-governance in which it is one of the most advanced countries in Europe. Its telecommunications sector is one of the most developed in Central and Eastern Europe. Estonia is keen to invite Indian companies to use Estonia as a transit route for trade and services with Nordic/Baltic countries. Estonia has a strong information and communication technology (ICT) sector, partly due to investments in developing and expanding computer and network infrastructure. The country’s historic skills in automation and cyber security in combination with innovations in connected networks and data analytics have created a booming ICT ecosystem and startups.


2.      Estonia opened a resident Embassy in New Delhi in February 2012 and Embassy of India was opened on December 28, 2021 at the Cd’A a.i. level in Tallinn.


3.      During the first high level visit to Estonia in August 2019, Hon’ble Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu attended and addressed the Estonia-India Business Forum 2019 along with Hon’ble Prime Minister of Estonia. The accompanying business delegation of 18 Indian companies participated in the event. They also had B2B meetings with Estonian companies.


Bilateral Trade
4.      Total bilateral trade in 2024 was € 270 million and was in Estonia’s favour. There are business opportunities for collaboration with Estonia in information technology, cyber security, block chain and related tech fields (where Estonia has good capabilities). Estonia has been trying to attract Indian IT companies to set up their data centres in Estonia. Indian companies are beginning to engage with Estonian companies, given the latter’s positioning as a gateway to EU, its prowess in cyber security and block chain. Another area which offers potential for collaboration is in green-tech including green-hydrogen and wind energy. The entire spectrum of genetics, molecular biology, biotechnology, life sciences etc. also provide possible avenues for cooperation.


Bilateral Trade in Goods                                             (In EUR million)                                                                                                 

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

 2023

2024

Upto March 2025

India’s Exports to Estonia

32.87

31.87

45.61

30.33

41.00

93.64

42.10

81.9

15

India’s Import from Estonia

57.75

86.44

54.19

64.77

97.80

123.85

79.90

76.5

20.4

Total Bilateral trade

90.62

118.31

99.80

95.10

138.80

217.49

122.00

158.4

35.4

Source: Statistics Estonia

5.      In 2024, India's imports from Estonia amounted to €76.5 Mln. Major items of imports from Estonia to India include woodpulp (€25.5 Mln), electrical equipment (€15.4 Mln), mechanical appliances (€11 Mln), wood (€5.54 Mln), iron and steel (€3.82 Mln).
        In 2024, India's exports to Estonia amounted to €81.9 Mln. Major items of exports from India to Estonia include mechanical appliances (€33.6 Mln), electrical equipment (€9.29 Mln), articles of iron or steel (€7.78 Mln), miscellaneous chemical products (€3.89 Mln), inorganic chemicals (€3.07 Mln).


6.      In 2025 (upto March), India's imports from Estonia amounted to €20.4 Mln. Major items of imports from Estonia to India include woodpulp (€8.22 Mln), electrical equipment (€5.35 Mln), optical, measuring, precision instruments (€3.36 Mln), iron and steel (€805 K), dairy and other edible animal products (€592 K).
In 2025 (upto March), India's exports to Estonia amounted to €15 Mln. Major items of exports from India to Estonia include mechanical appliances (€3.08 Mln), electrical equipment (€1.96 Mln), articles of iron or steel (€1.52 Mln), inorganic chemicals (€1.06 Mln), miscellaneous chemical products (€713 K).


Bilateral Trade in Services                                           (In EUR million)                                                                                              


Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

 2023

 2024

Upto March 2025

India Imports from Estonia

10.0

8.4

14.6

7.7

15.60

19.5

24.2

91.7

15.5

India exports to Estonia

7.7

8.9

9.4

8.1

11.80

19.9

15.8

19.8

7.3

Total

17.7

17.3

24

15.8

27.4

39.4

40

111.5

22.8

Source: Statistics Estonia


Total Global Trade


7.      In 2024, Estonian exports of goods amounted to €18.2 Bln and total imports amounted to €16.6 Bln. The top exports of Estonia were electrical equipment (€2.68 Bln), wood and articles of wood (€1.95 Bln), mechanical appliances (€1.54 Bln), vehicles (€1.51 Bln), and mineral fuels (€1.36 Bln). The top export destinations of Estonia were Finland (€2.74 Bln), Latvia (€1.94 Bln), Sweden (€1.55 Bln), Lithuania (€1.4 Bln), and Germany (€1.27 Bln).
In 2024, the top imports of Estonia were electrical equipment (€2.72 Bln), vehicles (€2.6 Bln), mineral fuels (€2.02 Bln), mechanical appliances (€1.81 Bln), and pharmaceutical products (€812 Mln). The top countries for imports were Finland (€2.72 Bln), Germany (€2.38 Bln), Latvia (€2.27 Bln), Lithuania (€2.23 Bln), and Poland (€1.68 Bln).


8.      In 2025 (upto March), Estonian exports of goods amounted to €4.46 Bln and total imports amounted to €5.03 Bln. The top exports of Estonia were electrical equipment (€650 Mln), wood and articles of wood (€568 Mln), mineral fuels  (€470 Mln), vehicles (405 Mln), and mechanical appliances (€351 Mln). The top export destinations of Estonia were Finland (€765 Mln), Latvia (426 Mln), Sweden (€393 Mln), Lithuania (€378 Mln), and Germany (€336 Mln).
In 2025 (upto March), the top imports of Estonia were electrical equipment (€680 Mln), vehicles (€667 Mln), mineral fuels (€630 Mln), mechanical appliances (€499 Mln), and plastics and articles thereof (€219 Mln). The top countries for imports were Latvia (€759 Mln), Germany (€623 Mln), Finland  (€577 Mln), Lithuania (€543 Mln), and Sweden (€429 Mln).
Indian Investment in Estonia


9.      There is limited Indian investment in Estonia. Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Ltd. (RIIHL), a wholly-owned unit of Reliance Industries, has set up a company in Estonia called Jio Estonia OÜ in November 2018. Indian FDI in Estonia stands as EUR 8.6 Mln (source: Bank of Estonia, March 2025).


Recent Bilateral Delegations

Delegations from India to Estonia:

  • National Health Authority Delegation (1–3 November, 2023)
  • National Stock Exchange Delegation (February 2024)
  • India Business Delegation to Latitude59 (18–20 May, 2024)
  • India’s First Defence Industry Delegation (22–24 May, 2024)
  • FICCI FLO Delegation (11–14 August, 2024)
  • Indian Journalists’ Delegation (10–15 December, 2024)
  • AIMA delegation (2 May, 2025)
  • Food and Beverage Mission to Estonia (5–9 May, 2025)

Delegations from Estonia to India:

  • Trade Mission to India for Biotechnology and Pharma Sector (21–25 February, 2023)
  • 2nd CII India Nordic-Baltic Business Conclave Delegation (22–23 November, 2023), led by Undersecretary Ms. Mariin Ratnik, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Business Delegation to India at Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2024 (8–12 January, 2024), headed by Mr. Tiit Riisalo, Minister of Economy and Information Technology
  • Foreign Minister Mr. Margus Tsahkna’s Delegation to Raisina Dialogue (20–23 February, 2024)
  • Estonian Wood Mission to India (10–14 June, 2024), led by Ms. Marje Luup, Ambassador of Estonia to India
  • Business Delegation to India (2–7 December, 2024), led by Ms. Piret Hartman, Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture
  • Technology Clusters Visit to India (March 2025), including ITL, Technopol HealthTech, Tartu Biotechnology Park, Estonian Hydrogen Cluster, Defence Estonia Cluster, and GameDev Estonia

****


 

Go to Top