Narva's population falls below 50,000 for the first time in decades
In Narva, an Estonian city on the Russian border, 49,977 people were registered on 1 October. City authorities are weighing spending cuts, including on kindergartens.
The population of Narva, an Estonian city on the border with Russia, has dropped below 50,000 for the first time in several decades. As of 1 October, 49,977 residents were registered there. Since the start of 2026 the city has lost 1,070 people, and as residents keep leaving, local authorities are considering cutting expenses, first of all on kindergartens.
Mayor Jaan Toots presented the figures on the ETV+ news programme "Aktuaalne kaamera". According to him, 51,050 people were registered in the city on 1 January. In the early 1990s, Narva had roughly 85,000 inhabitants.
Causes and the city's plans
The decline is linked to natural population decrease and to residents moving to other regions of Estonia. Young people often leave to study or work and do not return afterwards. The mayor called it a problem for the city and said that young people who go away to study generally do not come back.
The city hopes to attract new residents by creating jobs and providing affordable housing. At the same time, it has to prepare for lower spending on municipal infrastructure. Kindergartens may be affected first: Toots said that already next year the city will have to cut costs for preschool institutions because the number of children is falling. In his view, the number of kindergartens must be reduced, as the city budget cannot support so many facilities. Closing a kindergarten outright is a big problem, he said, but staff numbers should be cut now.
For now, the authorities are considering staff reductions and merging the management of institutions. If the population keeps shrinking, Narva will also have to review spending on other municipal infrastructure.
Wider context
ERR reported on the population decline in Ida-Viru County in January. According to Estonia's Ministry of the Interior, the county lost 2,254 residents in 2025, while Narva's population fell by more than a thousand over the same period. Former Narva mayor Katri Raik did not rule out that in ten years the number of residents could fall by another 5,000–6,000.
