Azerbaijan: population, population and ethnic composition

What is the population of Azerbaijan? What nationalities live in this country, and how long did they settle there? You will find answers to these questions in this article.

Azerbaijan: population and population by years

This small state is located on the shore of the Caspian Sea, right on the border of Asia and Europe, eastern and western culture. How many people live in Azerbaijan at the moment? And what are the ethnoses that make up its structure?

The population of Azerbaijan, according to the latest UN data, has 9.7 million people. According to this indicator, the country ranks first in the region of Transcaucasia. At the same time, about 120-140 thousand of them live in the territory of the unrecognized state Nagorno-Karabakh.

The population of Azerbaijan reached its 9 millionth milestone in 2010. The birth of a nine-million citizen was even recorded. This happened in the city of Nakhichevan on the morning of January 15 of the year.

As the statistics show, the population of Azerbaijan over the last hundred years has grown almost five times. For 25 years of independence, the total population growth of this country was about 2.5 million people, which is a very high indicator for the post-Soviet states. More clearly, the dynamics of the population of Azerbaijan is presented on the following schedule.

The birth rate in this country is three times the death rate. This can explain the steady annual growth of its population. Nevertheless, the average life expectancy in Azerbaijan is not so high (72 years). Although, again, for the post-Soviet countries - this is a pretty good indicator.

Women in Azerbaijan are slightly larger than men (50.3%). The density of the population of the country is 98 people per one square kilometer of the territory.

The population of Azerbaijan and its religious composition

According to the Constitution, in Azerbaijan the church is separated from the state and has no influence on education, culture or any other spheres of public life.

The religious composition of the country is represented by various currents and confessions, the dominant role of which is occupied by Islam. 99% of the population profess this religion. And about 85% of them are Shiite Muslims.

In addition, the churches of other religions freely function in Azerbaijan: synagogues, Catholic cathedrals, Orthodox and Protestant churches. Registered and operates in the country, even the community of Zoroastrians.

Christianity in Azerbaijan is almost not common. So, on the territory of the state there are only six Orthodox churches today (half of them are located in the capital). The Catholic Church in this country was born in the XIV century. The most significant event in the life of Azerbaijani Catholics was the arrival in Baku of Pope John Paul III, which took place in the spring of 2002.

Ethnic diversity of the population of Azerbaijan

Representatives of many nationalities and ethnic groups reside in Azerbaijan. The first ten of them are as follows:

• Azerbaijanis (91%);
• Lezgins (2%);
• Armenians (1.4%);
• Russians (1.3%);
• Talish (1.3%);
• Avars (0.6%);
• Turks (0.4%);
• Tatars (0.3%);
• Ukrainians (0.2%);
• Georgians (0.1%).

The absolute majority in the ethnic structure of the country belongs to Azerbaijanis. This people dominates in all regions and cities of the state (with the exception of Nagorno-Karabakh). In the early 1990s, the share of this ethnic group in the country's population structure increased substantially due to the active resettlement of Azerbaijanis from neighboring Armenia (as a result of the Karabakh conflict).

The most numerous nationalities of Azerbaijan and their location

According to the latest census, about 120 thousand Armenians live in Azerbaijan. This people lives compactly in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh - a territory beyond the control of the authorities of the country, as well as in the city of Baku.

The first Russian communities arose in the territory of Azerbaijan in the XIX century. Now about 200 thousand Russians live in the country, however their number decreases every year (mainly due to leaving the state).

A fairly large and integral Ukrainian diaspora has formed in Azerbaijan. The Ukrainians began to move to this country at the end of the XIX century in connection with the active industrial development of Azerbaijan. At the same time the Poles began to come to the territory of the country (mainly in Baku). Their resettlement was connected, first of all, with the "oil boom" in Azerbaijan. In Baku, highly skilled engineers and simple workers came from Poland.

Cities of Azerbaijan

The population of Azerbaijani cities is only 53% of the total number of its inhabitants (by European standards, this is very small). Cities with a population of more than 50 thousand people in this country are only ten. Moreover, the capital of the state - the city of Baku has significantly separated from them by the number of people. At the moment it is the only city with a million population in the state.

The largest cities of Azerbaijan: Baku, Ganja, Sumgait, Mingachevir, Khirdalan, Nakhichevan, Sheki.

In the capital of the country, according to demographers, today there are about 2.1 million people. This city is very different from all other Azerbaijani cities. Today it is actively developing and acquiring modern high-rise buildings.

Finally...

To date, about 9.7 million people live in Azerbaijan, and the population of this country is rapidly approaching the 10 million mark. The ethnic composition of this state is rather variegated. In addition to the indigenous people, here live representatives of many other nationalities - Armenians, Russians, Lezgins, Kurds, Tatars, Turks, Ukrainians, Talyshs.