Estonia vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of children who were born outside of marriage

Estonia
53.7%
in 2019
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
51.3%
in 2021
Estonia rank
12th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
15th

Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time

  • Estonia
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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How they compare

Estonia currently reports 53.7% against 51.3% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 2.4%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 31 shared years of data; in 1989 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.

Estonia ranks 12th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th of 42 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Estonia averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Estonia United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1980s 25.3% 26.6% 1.3% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1990s 42.2% 33.5% 8.8% Estonia
2000s 57.5% 42.7% 14.9% Estonia
2010s 57.2% 47.8% 9.5% Estonia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, Estonia or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Estonia, at 53.7% against 51.3% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2019.
What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Estonia and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
2.4%, with Estonia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
31 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2019.
How do Estonia and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
Estonia ranks 12th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th of 42 countries.
Where does this data come from?
OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Estonia vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-births-outside-marriage/estonia/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Unit
%
Source
OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 2,139 data points, 1960–2021
Last refreshed

Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.