interesting e-⁠resident stats to celebrate our 11th anniversary

Celebrating a growing global community of digital entrepreneurs

E-Residency launched in December 2014, making Estonia the first country in the world to offer its state services via e-governance to non-residents. Eleven years later, that idea has become a global community of founders, freelancers, and remote builders who run trusted European businesses without borders. Read more about our evolution on our story page. 

To mark the anniversary, here’s a snapshot of 2025 and a look at how far e-Residency has come. The numbers speak for themselves. And if you want the latest data, check out our regularly updated dashboard page.

Where are e-⁠residents from?

E-⁠Residency has welcomed over 11,100 people from 153 countries this year alone. This brings the total to over 132,000 e-⁠residents from 185 countries, representing almost the whole world. 

The top citizenships of new e-⁠residents this year were German, Ukrainian, French, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, Indian, UK, Finnish, and Dutch. One standout trend: Germany saw 940 more applications in 2025, marking a 54% increase from 2024. This momentum reflects a shift toward digital-first entrepreneurship, especially in Europe’s major economies.

It wasn't enough to catapult Germany to the highest number of e-⁠residents over time, however. Ukraine leads with 8,341 e-⁠residents, followed by Germany with 8,137 and Spain with 7,510. 

How old are e-⁠residents?

What is the best time to found a company? A 2019 report found the median age of successful US company founders was 45. E-⁠resident data this year, however, showed that with the right tools and support, entrepreneurship can happen at any age. 

In 2025, eight different eighteen-year-olds founded Estonian companies through e-⁠Residency. This age is down from the three different 19-year-olds who were the youngest e-⁠resident company founders in 2024.

The oldest e-⁠resident company founder this year was 80, while the oldest new e-⁠resident was 85. In 2024, the oldest new e-⁠resident was 90. 

The average age of e-residents also differs widely between countries. In 2025, Tunisia had the youngest average e-residents at 34.1 years old. Finland had the oldest at 46.7. This may seem like quite a gap, but it makes sense considering the median age in Tunisia was 34.4 and 43.3 in Finland. 

People start businesses when the moment is right for them – not when others expect them to. E-⁠Residency lowers the barriers so they can start when they’re ready.

What's the gender ratio of e-⁠residents?

Women made up only 17% of new e-⁠residents in 2025 compared to 83% men. This rate has remained steady since 2024 and reflects broader research on women in entrepreneurship.

A 2025 report by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor found that: 

• Women were about 20% less likely to start a business than men
• Women were less than half as likely as men to be active in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the top industry for new e-⁠resident businesses
• One-third of women entrepreneurs reported starting as a solopreneur compared with one-quarter of men, with growth expectations 32% lower than men’s
• High-income countries showed the largest gender gaps in entrepreneurial perceptions, with women 22% less likely to have confidence in their startup skills, 17% less likely to see new business opportunities, and 11% less likely to be undeterred by a fear of failure
  

While women participate much less in entrepreneurship than men globally, the same report found that their participation is trending upward over time. Much work remains to lessen the gender gap in entrepreneurship. We hope to be a part of the solution by empowering more women to start businesses from anywhere with e-⁠Residency.  

Why become an e-⁠resident?

Most people come to e-⁠Residency for one clear reason – entrepreneurship. In 2025, the top motivations declared on applications were:

• Start a business in Estonia: 67.8%
• Already run a business in Estonia: 14.8%
• Expand an existing business: 4.6%
• Conduct transactions digitally: 3.2%
• Plan to work remotely: 1.7%
• Other reasons: 7.9%

"Other reasons" include investing in an Estonian company, planning to relocate a company to Estonia, or already working in an Estonian company. These motivations show that e-⁠Residency is a practical solution for people who want a trusted, efficient EU base for their businesses. 

What kind of companies do e-⁠residents start?

E-residents have now created more than 38,500 companies since the launch of e-Residency. This year alone saw over 4,600 new companies, a 16% increase compared to 2024. The top citizenships of e-resident company founders over time are Spanish, Ukrainian, German, Turkish, and French. Want to see how many e-residents there are from your country? You can find out on our dashboard page under "Search e-residency numbers by country". 

We also passed a notable milestone: 2,310 e-⁠residents overall have founded more than one company, showing that many stay, grow, and build again.

The most common industries

The top sectors for e-⁠resident companies over time reflect global demand for digital services and the flexibility of Estonia’s business environment:

1. Computer programming, consultancy and related activities: 10,394 companies
   
2. Head office activities and management consultancy activities: 6,452 companies
   
3. Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles: 3,686 companies
   

These fields represent where digital-first entrepreneurship is strongest, and they continue to drive the programme’s growth. You can see more common e-resident business activities on our dashboard, or filter e-⁠resident success stories by business field on our blog. 

Looking ahead

Eleven years ago, e-⁠Residency was an experiment. Today, it’s a trusted gateway to the EU’s digital economy and a community of people who build across borders.

Twenty-twenty-five was a year of growth, but also groundwork – new tools, more automation, better guidance, and a broader global reach. The next chapter is about making that foundation even stronger.

Thanks for being part of the story, whether you joined yesterday or have been here since the beginning. And if you haven't joined our movement yet, it's not too late to start.