Estonia: A Model For E-Government

Over the next decade, the population of Estonia is expected to increase more than 600%, from 1.3 million to 10 million.

No, a flood of immigrants is not likely to invade the tiny Baltic republic. This year, Estonia becomes the first country in the world to open its borders to e-residents—people who sign up for digital identification cards and digital signatures for access to a wide array of national electronic services and databases. The idea is to provide a gateway by which people outside of Estonia can make investments in Estonia, establish businesses there and, eventually, use the country as a bridge to commerce elsewhere in the European Union.