Estonia has long excelled in the arts, but today its science research output has also become exemplary. | Photo: Alamy Stock Photo

The Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database counts publications and citations dating back to the year 2014.  According to an analysis published in the Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, “the average citation rate of articles by Estonian researchers is 81.7 percent above the ESI world average”. This puts Estonia in third place third globally, after Iceland and Singapore, and ahead of its Nordic neighbours (and role models) Finland and Sweden.  The authors of the study also offer various possible reasons for this upward trend, as the news portal Estonian World reports. There is the “bold science policy” that has been promoted by the country since its independence in 1991, such as compelling doctoral students to publish their theses, and making English the compulsory language for funding applications.  But the authors of the study also admit that none of the factors they’ve analysed can provide a full explanation of the phenomenon.