Azerbaijan

Broadcast media

3 state-run and 1 public TV channels; 4 domestic commercial TV stations and about 15 regional TV stations; cable TV services are available in Baku; 1 state-run and 1 public radio network operating; a small number of private commercial radio stations broadcasting; local FM relays of Baku commercial stations are available in many localities; local relays of several international broadcasters had been available until late 2008 when their broadcasts were banned from FM frequencies (2010)

Internet country code

.az

Internet users

total: 7.531 million | percent of population: 77% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 60

Telephone system

general assessment: requires considerable expansion and modernization; fixed-line telephone and a broad range of other telecom services are controlled by a state-owned telecommunications monopoly and growth has been stagnant; more competition exists in the mobile-cellular market with four providers in 2009 | domestic: teledensity of 18 fixed lines per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity has increased to 109 telephones per 100 persons; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan (Nakhichevan) | international: country code - 994; the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic link transits Azerbaijan providing international connectivity to neighboring countries; the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2 (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 1,796,027 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 63

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 10.697 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 109 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Agriculture - products

fruit, vegetables, grain, rice, grapes, tea, cotton, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats

Budget

revenues: $16.74 billion | expenditures: $17.36 billion (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-1.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Central bank discount rate

5% (31 December 2012) | 5.25% (31 December 2011) | note: this is the Refinancing Rate, the key policy rate for the National Bank of Azerbaijan | country comparison to the world: 79

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13.86% (31 December 2015 est.) | 14.19% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Current account balance

$125 million (2015 est.) | $10.43 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 84

Debt - external

$12.28 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $11.69 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 103

Distribution of family income - Gini index

33.7 (2008) | 36.5 (2001) | country comparison to the world: 100

Economy - overview

Azerbaijan's high economic growth has been attributable to large and growing oil and gas exports, but some non-export sectors also featured double-digit growth, including construction, banking, and real estate. Oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline, the Baku-Novorossiysk, and the Baku-Supsa pipelines remain the main economic driver, but efforts to boost Azerbaijan's gas production are underway. The eventual completion of the geopolitically important Southern Gas Corridor between Azerbaijan and Europe will open up another, albeit, smaller source of revenue from gas exports. | Azerbaijan has made only limited progress on instituting market-based economic reforms. Pervasive public and private sector corruption and structural economic inefficiencies remain a drag on long-term growth, particularly in non-energy sectors. Several other obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic progress, including the need for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector and the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance, while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. | Long-term prospects depend on world oil prices, Azerbaijan's ability to negotiate export routes for its growing gas production, and its ability to use its energy wealth to promote growth and spur employment in non-energy sectors of the economy.

Exchange rates

Azerbaijani manats (AZN) per US dollar - | 1.0246 (2015 est.) | 0.7844 (2014 est.) | 0.7844 (2013 est.) | 0.79 (2012 est.) | 0.7897 (2011 est.)

Exports

$15.59 billion (2015 est.) | $28.26 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74

Exports - commodities

oil and gas 90%, machinery, foodstuffs, cotton

Exports - partners

Italy 26.3%, Germany 13.3%, Indonesia 7%, France 6.9%, Czech Republic 6% (2015)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$54.05 billion (2015 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$169.4 billion (2015 est.) | $167.6 billion (2014 est.) | $163 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 67

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 55.8% | government consumption: 12.5% | investment in fixed capital: 28.6% | investment in inventories: 0.1% | exports of goods and services: 37.8% | imports of goods and services: -34.8% (2015 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 6% | industry: 59.1% | services: 34.9% (2015 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$18,000 (2015 est.) | $17,900 (2014 est.) | $17,600 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 93

GDP - real growth rate

1.1% (2015 est.) | 2.8% (2014 est.) | 5.8% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 163

Gross national saving

28.3% of GDP (2015 est.) | 41.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | 43.3% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.4% | highest 10%: 27.4% (2008)

Imports

$9.774 billion (2015 est.) | $9.332 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals

Imports - partners

Russia 19.9%, Turkey 16.5%, UK 8.6%, Germany 6.6%, Italy 6.3%, US 4.1% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate

2.4% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Industries

petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.1% (2015 est.) | 1.5% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

Labor force

4.899 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 84

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 38.3% | industry: 12.1% | services: 49.6% (2008)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

6% (2012 est.)

Public debt

20.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | 11.6% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$7.91 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $15.55 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 78

Stock of broad money

$24.18 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $20.95 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 82

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$14.48 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $11.22 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$66.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $59.02 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53

Stock of domestic credit

$15.63 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $25.38 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

Stock of narrow money

$5.612 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $16.36 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95

Taxes and other revenues

31% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Unemployment rate

5.3% (2015 est.) | 5.4% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

35 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Crude oil - exports

744,400 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 17

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Crude oil - production

848,500 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

Crude oil - proved reserves

7 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 20

Electricity - consumption

20 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Electricity - exports

500 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Electricity - from fossil fuels

85% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

14.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150

Electricity - imports

100 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Electricity - installed generating capacity

7.4 million kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68

Electricity - production

23 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2016)

Natural gas - consumption

11.23 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46

Natural gas - exports

8.44 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27

Natural gas - imports

450 million cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Natural gas - production

19.96 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34

Natural gas - proved reserves

991.1 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 27

Refined petroleum products - consumption

104,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 78

Refined petroleum products - exports

37,330 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64

Refined petroleum products - imports

2,249 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 201

Refined petroleum products - production

139,300 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 67

Area

total: 86,600 sq km | land: 82,629 sq km | water: 3,971 sq km | note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991 | country comparison to the world: 113

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maine

Climate

dry, semiarid steppe

Coastline

0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (713 km)

Elevation

mean elevation: 384 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m | highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m

Environment - current issues

local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

40 30 N, 47 30 E

Geography - note

both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked

Irrigated land

14,277 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 2,468 km | border countries (5): Armenia 996 km, Georgia 428 km, Iran 689 km, Russia 338 km, Turkey 17 km

Land use

agricultural land: 57.6% | arable land 22.8%; permanent crops 2.7%; permanent pasture 32.1% | forest: 11.3% | other: 31.1% (2011 est.)

Location

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

droughts

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, bauxite

Population - distribution

highest population density is found in the far eastern area of the county, in and around Baku; apart from smaller urbanized areas, the rest of the country has a fairly evenly distributed population

Terrain

large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland, much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) to the west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Administrative divisions

66 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular); | rayons: Abseron, Agcabadi, Agdam, Agdas, Agstafa, Agsu, Astara, Babak, Balakan, Barda, Beylaqan, Bilasuvar, Cabrayil, Calilabad, Culfa, Daskasan, Fuzuli, Gadabay, Goranboy, Goycay, Goygol, Haciqabul, Imisli, Ismayilli, Kalbacar, Kangarli, Kurdamir, Lacin, Lankaran, Lerik, Masalli, Neftcala, Oguz, Ordubad, Qabala, Qax, Qazax, Qobustan, Quba, Qubadli, Qusar, Saatli, Sabirabad, Sabran, Sadarak, Sahbuz, Saki, Salyan, Samaxi, Samkir, Samux, Sarur, Siyazan, Susa, Tartar, Tovuz, Ucar, Xacmaz, Xizi, Xocali, Xocavand, Yardimli, Yevlax, Zangilan, Zaqatala, Zardab | cities: Baku, Ganca, Lankaran, Mingacevir, Naftalan, Naxcivan (Nakhichevan), Saki, Sirvan, Sumqayit, Xankandi, Yevlax

Capital

name: Baku (Baki, Baky) | geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 52 E | time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: yes | citizenship by descent: yes | dual citizenship recognized: no | residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Constitution

several previous; latest adopted 12 November 1995; amended 2002, 2009 (2016)

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan | conventional short form: Azerbaijan | local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi | local short form: Azarbaycan | former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic | etymology: the name translates as "Land of fire" and refers to naturally occurring surface fires on ancient oil pools or from natural gas discharges

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert CEKUTA (since 16 February 2015) | embassy: 111 Azadlig Prospecti, Baku AZ1007 | mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050 | telephone: [994] (12) 488-3300 | FAX: [994] (12) 488-3320

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Elin SULEYMANOV (since 5 December 2011) | chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500 | FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911 | consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003) | head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub EYYUBOV (since June 2006); note - RASIZADE was previously prime minister from 20 July 1996 to 4 August 2003 | cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly | elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for unlimited terms); election last held on 9 October 2013 (next to be held in October 2018); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly | election results: Ilham ALIYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Ilham ALIYEV (YAP) 84.5%, Jamil HASANLI (National Council of Democratic Forces) 5.5%, other 10% | note: OSCE observers concluded that the election did not meet international standards

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in the red band; the blue band recalls Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, red stands for modernization and progress, and green refers to Islam; the crescent moon and star are a Turkic insignia; the eight star points represent the eight Turkic peoples of the world

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

30 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 18 October 1991 (adopted by the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ADB, BSEC, CD, CE, CICA, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EITI (compliant country), FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chairman, vice chairman, and 23 judges in plenum sessions and organized into civil, economic affairs, criminal, and rights violations chambers); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges) | judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Milli Majlis; judges appointed for 10 years; Constitutional Court chairman and deputy chairman appointed by the president; other court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Milli Majlis to serve single 15-year terms | subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal (replaced the Economic Court in 2002); district and municipal courts;

Legal system

civil law system

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) | elections: last held on 1 November 2015 (next to be held in November 2020) | election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - YAP 72, CSP 2, Democratic Reforms 1, Social Democratic Party 1, Social Prosperity 1, Unity Party 1, Democratic Enlightenment 1, Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front 1, Motherland 1, Civil Unity 1, Great Undertaking Party 1, independent 42

National anthem

name: "Azerbaijan Marsi" (March of Azerbaijan) | lyrics/music: Ahmed JAVAD/Uzeyir HAJIBEYOV | note: adopted 1992; although originally written in 1919 during a brief period of independence, "Azerbaijan Marsi" did not become the official anthem until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union

National holiday

Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)

National symbol(s)

flames of fire; national colors: blue, red, green

Political parties and leaders

Civil Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLI] | Civil Unity Party or CUP [Sabir HAJIYEV] | Democratic Enlightenment [Elshan MUSAYEV] | Democratic Reforms Party [Asim MOLLAZADE] | Great Undertaking [Fazil MUSTAFA] | Musavat [Arif HAJILI] | Popular Front Party [Ali KARIMLI] | Motherland Party or AVP [Fazail AGAMALI] | Social Democratic Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV] | Social Prosperity Party [Khanhusein KAZIMLI] | Unity Party [Tahir KARIMLI] | Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party [Gudrat HASANGULIYEV] | Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party or YAP [President Ilham ALIYEV]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Club-125 [Ilhamia RZAYEVA] | Ireli Youth Movement [MirHasan SEYIDOV] | National Council of Democratic Forces [Jamil HASANLI] | NIDA Youth Movement [Turgut GAMBAR, Zaur GURBANLI] | Positive Change Youth Movement [Bakhtiyar HAJIYEV] | Republican Alternative or REAL [Ilgar MAMMADOV (in jail)]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Shia Muslim population - was briefly independent (from 1918 to 1920) following the collapse of the Russian Empire; it was subsequently incorporated into the Soviet Union for seven decades. Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily ethnic Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized in 1923 as an autonomous republic within Soviet Azerbaijan after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the territory's status. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also seven surrounding provinces in the territory of Azerbaijan. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the US, France, and Russia, is the framework established to mediate a peaceful resolution of the conflict. | Corruption in the country is widespread, and the government, which eliminated presidential term limits in a 2009 referendum, has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced and infrastructure investment has increased substantially in recent years due to revenue from oil and gas production, reforms have not adequately addressed weaknesses in most government institutions, particularly in the education and health sectors, as well as the court system.

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air, and Air Defense Forces (2010)

Military expenditures

5.1% of GDP (2014) | 4.7% of GDP (2013) | 4.64% of GDP (2012) | 4.67% of GDP (2011) | 4.64% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 6

Military service age and obligation

18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; service obligation 18 months or 12 months for university graduates; 17 years of age for voluntary service; 17 year olds are considered to be on active service at cadet military schools (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 22.82% (male 1,204,976/female 1,047,737) | 15-24 years: 15.77% (male 812,537/female 744,538) | 25-54 years: 45.28% (male 2,188,683/female 2,281,242) | 55-64 years: 9.64% (male 439,566/female 512,118) | 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 245,144/female 396,224) (2016 est.)

Birth rate

16.2 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 116

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 144,397 | percentage: 7% | note: data represent children ages 5-17 (2005 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

4.9% (2013) | country comparison to the world: 75

Contraceptive prevalence rate

51.1% (2006)

Death rate

7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 130

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 38% | youth dependency ratio: 30.3% | elderly dependency ratio: 7.8% | potential support ratio: 12.9% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 94.7% of population | rural: 77.8% of population | total: 87% of population | urban: 5.3% of population | rural: 22.2% of population | total: 13% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

2.5% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 158

Ethnic groups

Azerbaijani 91.6%, Lezgian 2%, Russian 1.3%, Armenian 1.3%, Talysh 1.3%, other 2.4% | note: the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region is populated almost entirely by ethnic Armenians (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.17% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

HIV/AIDS - deaths

300 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

10,700 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Health expenditures

6% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 128

Hospital bed density

4.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

total: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 25.6 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 23.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70

Languages

Azerbaijani (Azeri) (official) 92.5%, Russian 1.4%, Armenian 1.4%, other 4.7% (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.5 years | male: 69.5 years | female: 75.8 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 99.8% | male: 99.9% | female: 99.8% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population

BAKU (capital) 2.374 million (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

25 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 113

Median age

total: 30.9 years | male: 29.3 years | female: 32.6 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 107

Mother's mean age at first birth

23.5 (2013 est.)

Nationality

noun: Azerbaijani(s) | adjective: Azerbaijani

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

22.2% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 71

Physicians density

3.4 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

Population

9,872,765 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92

Population distribution

highest population density is found in the far eastern area of the county, in and around Baku; apart from smaller urbanized areas, the rest of the country has a fairly evenly distributed population

Population growth rate

0.92% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Religions

Muslim 96.9% (predominantly Shia), Christian 3%, other <0.1, unaffiliated <0.1 (2010 est.) | note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower

Sanitation facility access

urban: 91.6% of population | rural: 86.6% of population | total: 89.3% of population | urban: 8.4% of population | rural: 13.4% of population | total: 10.7% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 13 years | male: 13 years | female: 13 years (2014)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.15 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.09 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female | total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.9 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 13.8% | male: 12% | female: 15.6% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Urbanization

urban population: 54.6% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 1.56% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified the Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the sea; the dispute over the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian military occupation of surrounding lands in Azerbaijan remains the primary focus of regional instability; residents have evacuated the former Soviet-era small ethnic enclaves in Armenia and Azerbaijan; local border forces struggle to control the illegal transit of goods and people across the porous, undemarcated Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian borders; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian

Illicit drugs

limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: 618,220 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh; IDPs are mainly ethnic Azerbaijanis but also include ethnic Kurds, Russians, and Turks predominantly from occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh; includes IDPs' descendants, returned IDPs, and people living in insecure areas and excludes people displaced by natural disasters; around half the IDPs live in the capital Baku) (2015) | stateless persons: 3,585 (2015)

Airports

37 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 108

Airports - with paved runways

total: 30 | over 3,047 m: 5 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 | 914 to 1,523 m: 4 | under 914 m: 3 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 7 | under 914 m: 7 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

4K (2016)

Heliports

1 (2012)

Merchant marine

total: 90 | by type: cargo 27, chemical tanker 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 47, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 2 | foreign-owned: 1 (Turkey 1) | registered in other countries: 2 (Malta 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 53

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 2 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 35 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,803,112 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 41,954,600 mt-km (2015)

Pipelines

condensate 89 km; gas 3,890 km; oil 2,446 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Baku (Baki) located on the Caspian Sea

Railways

total: 2,068 km | broad gauge: 2,068 km 1.520-m gauge (1,240 km electrified) (2014) | country comparison to the world: 70

Roadways

total: 52,942 km | paved: 26,789 km | unpaved: 26,153 km (2006) | country comparison to the world: 74