Caucasus

Azerbaijan

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

Muslim population97.3%of the population

Population10.3 millionpeople (current)

CapitalBakuUTC+4 · daylight saving in summer

Currency1.70 = $1Azerbaijani manats (AZN) (2024)

Country basics

Azerbaijan is a South Caucasus republic on the Caspian Sea, bordering Iran, Russia and Georgia.

Azerbaijan is a republic that regained independence in 1991, with Baku as its capital and Azerbaijani as its official language. The manat is the currency, and oil and gas piped to Turkey and Europe account for most export revenue.

Official name

Republic of Azerbaijan

Region

Asia · Western Asia

Government

Unitary semi-presidential republic under an authoritarian hereditary dictatorship

Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city

UTC+04:00

Driving side

Right

Phone code

+994

Currency

Azerbaijani manat (AZN, ₼)

Member of

Website

https://president.az

Faith and language

Religions

Muslim 97.3% (predominantly Shia), Christian 2.6%, other <0.1, unaffiliated <0.1 (2020 est.)

Languages

Azerbaijani

People and cities

Population

10.3 million (current)

Median ageHalf the population is younger than this

34.8 years (2025)

Living in cities

57.6% (2023)

Largest cities

Baku (capital) 2.432 million

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget

1.70 Azerbaijani manats (AZN) per US dollar (2024)

Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)

$22,100 (2024)

InflationHow much prices rose over the year

2.2% (2024)

Unemployment

5.6% (2024)

Spent on foodShare of an average household’s spending

42.7% (2023)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy

75.9 years (2024)

Doctors

3.19 per 1,000 people (2022)

Hospital beds

3.9 per 1,000 people (2019)

Safe drinking water

97.6% of people (2022)

Electricity

100% of people (2022)

Internet users

89% of people (2023)

Literacy

99.8% of adults (2023)

Land and climate

Climate

Dry, semiarid steppe

SizeAbout three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Maine

86,600 sq km

Natural hazards

Droughts

National holiday

Republic Day (founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan), 28 May (1918)