Narva sign

Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru County, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva River, which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. As of 1 January 2026, the population of Narva, Estonia, was approximately 51 020. Narva is Estonia's third-largest city after Tallinn and Tartu. Narva was nearly completely destroyed in 1944 during World War II. During the Soviet era of Estonia in 1944–1991, the city's original inhabitants were not permitted to return, and immigrant workers from Soviet Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union were introduced. Narva’s population, 65% ethnic Estonian as of the 1934 census, became overwhelmingly non-Estonian in the second half of the 20th century. According to more recent data, 46.7% of the city's inhabitants are citizens of Estonia, 36.3% are citizens of the Russian Federation, while 15.3% have undefined citizenship.