Azerbaijan (Republic of Azerbaijan)

Azerbaijan Republic of Azerbaijan
Status	Independent State
Capital	Baku
Land Area	82 658km21
Location	Asia, Europe
Population	9.4m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	70.90yrs (2017)3
GNI	$16 413 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	AZ, AZE, 315
Internet Domain	.az6
Currency	Manat (AZN)7
Telephone	+9948

1. Overview
2. Azerbaijan National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

#armenia #france #islam #russia

“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 Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized in 1923 as an autonomous region within Soviet Azerbaijan after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the status of the territory. 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 United States, 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. In January 2012, Azerbaijan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Marrying timeless tradition and ultra-modernity, Azerbaijan reveals a melange of cultural influences and outstanding attractions at the meeting point between Europe and Asia. Tucked beneath the Caucasus Mountains and facing the Caspian Sea, it is where Central Asia edges into Europe, with a melange of Turkic, Persian and Russian influences contributing to its fabric. ... Surrounded by semi-desert on the oil-rich Caspian Sea, the cosmopolitan capital, Baku, rings its Unesco-listed ancient core with mushrooming new skyscrapers. Yet barely three hours´ drive away are timeless rural villages, clad in lush orchards and backed by the soaring Great Caucasus mountains. The modern Azerbaijanis, well versed in Turkic legend and Persian poetry, are a passionate and overwhelmingly hospitable people.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Azerbaijan National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
75	Albania	75
76	Lebanon	76
77	Mexico	77
78	Azerbaijan	78
79	Brazil	79
80	Grenada	79
81	Bosnia & Herzegovina	81
82	Macedonia	82
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
91	Belarus	54.4
92	San Marino	54.3
93	Bolivia	54.2
94	Azerbaijan	54.0
95	Oman	54.0
96	Colombia	53.9
97	Nepal	53.8
98	Morocco	53.7
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#Azerbaijan #birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
111	Turkey	18.0
112	Vietnam	18.3
113	Tunisia	18.6
114	Azerbaijan	18.7
115	Colombia	18.8
116	Antigua & Barbuda	19.0
117	St Vincent & Grenadines	19.7
118	Seychelles	19.8
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
37	Marshall Islands	16.6%
38	Ireland	16.1%
39	Belize	16.1%
40	Azerbaijan	16.0%
41	Bulgaria	16.0%
42	Lebanon	15.6%
43	Equatorial Guinea	14.9%
44	Seychelles	14.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
19	Finland	1.87
20	UK	1.87
21	New Zealand	2.15
22	Azerbaijan	2.16
23	Chile	1.84
24	Bangladesh	2.16
25	Belgium	1.83
26	Algeria	2.17
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
99	Mauritius	3.3%
100	Sao Tome & Principe	3.2%
101	Nepal	3.2%
102	Azerbaijan	3.0%
103	Mauritania	2.9%
104	Zimbabwe	2.9%
105	Ecuador	2.9%
106	Iran	2.8%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
109	Egypt	71.33
110	Suriname	71.28
111	Ukraine	71.13
112	Azerbaijan	70.90
113	Kyrgyzstan	70.79
114	N. Korea	70.52
115	Trinidad & Tobago	70.52
116	Russia	70.26
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
87	Somalia	9.8m
88	Belarus	9.5m
89	Sweden	9.5m
90	Azerbaijan	9.4m
91	Benin	9.4m
92	Burundi	8.7m
93	Austria	8.4m
94	UAE	8.1m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Azerbaijan's population is predicted to rise to 10.81 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.16. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#Azerbaijan #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Azerbaijan is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Azerbaijan comes in the best 20 in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₈. It does better than average in the year from which women could participate in democracy₁₉, opposing gender inequality₂₀ and in LGBT equality₂₁. Azerbaijan does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average for fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₂, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃, eliminating modern slavery₂₄, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₅, its Global Peace Index rating₂₆, fighting corruption₂₇ and in supporting press freedom₂₈. In 2017 police harassment of LGBT folk picked up, with fines and invasions of personal space by the police₂₉. The courts also conducted many unfair trials and the government executed worrying crackdowns on political critics and journalists in 2017₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Azerbaijan

5. Peace Versus Instability

#Azerbaijan #extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
39	Argentina	39
40	China	40
41	Canada	41
42	Azerbaijan	42
43	Senegal	43
44	Switzerland	44
45	Bolivia	45
46	Burkina Faso	46
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
129	Pakistan	129
130	Samoa	130
131	Antigua & Barbuda	131
132	Azerbaijan	132
133	Togo	133
134	St Vincent & Grenadines	134
135	Afghanistan	135
136	Trinidad & Tobago	136
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)26
Pos.		Lower is better26
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
128	Honduras	2.34
129	Turkey	2.34
130	Kyrgyzstan	2.36
131	Azerbaijan	2.36
132	Philippines	2.42
133	Ivory Coast	2.42
134	Mexico	2.45
135	Lebanon	2.46
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₆. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₆ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₆.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)31
Pos.		Lower is better Score31
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
45	Poland	0.48
46	Gabon	0.55
47	Malawi	0.66
48	Azerbaijan	0.70
49	Czechia	0.87
50	Denmark	0.96
51	Guinea	0.97
52	Honduras	0.99
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)32
Pos.		Lower is better %32
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
22	Ukraine	46
23	Slovenia	47
24	Spain	49
25	Azerbaijan	50
26	Israel	51
27	Uzbekistan	51
28	Serbia	54
29	Ireland	54
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)33
Pos.		Higher is better %33
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
99	Uganda	0
100	Bangladesh	0
101	UAE	0
102	Azerbaijan	0
103	Algeria	0
104	Yemen	0
105	Zambia	0
106	Tanzania	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₄:

Christian	3%
Muslim	96.9%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.1%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 100% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 50% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.). note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower₃₅.

When it comes to religious freedom and persecution, sociologists Grim & Finke place Azerbaijan into the worst category, along with just 13 other countries. In this category, severe restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of belief stem simultaneously from top-down pressure from government and institutionalized religion, and from bottom-up grassroots movements that often go even further than the government in harrassing those who do not believe the right things (2011)₃₆.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#Azerbaijan #internet #it_security #politics #the_internet

Freedom On The Internet (2012)37
Pos.		Lower is better37
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
25	Turkey	46
26	Tunisia	46
27	Venezuela	48
28	Azerbaijan	50
29	Rwanda	51
30	Russia	52
31	Zimbabwe	54
32	Sri Lanka	55
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

Internet Users (2016)38
Pos.		Higher is better38
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
74	Palestine	63%
75	Montenegro	62%
76	Bosnia & Herzegovina	62%
77	Azerbaijan	61%
78	Belarus	61%
79	St Vincent & Grenadines	60%
80	St Lucia	59%
81	Bulgaria	59%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)39
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio39
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
93	Kyrgyzstan	0.0
94	Cambodia	0.0
95	Belarus	0.0
96	Azerbaijan	0.0
97	Angola	0.0
98	Armenia	0.0
99	Cape Verde	0.0
100	Nigeria	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013)40
Pos.		Lower is better40
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
51	Vietnam	1.15
52	Nigeria	1.18
53	Mauritania	1.19
54	Azerbaijan	1.21
55	Belarus	1.22
56	Armenia	1.22
57	Malawi	1.23
58	Turkmenistan	1.23
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Azerbaijan #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Azerbaijan does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Azerbaijan comes in the best 20 in its suicide rate₄₁. It does better than average in terms of its alcohol consumption rate₄₂ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₄₃. Azerbaijan does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₀, its immunizations take-up₄₄ and in its adolescent birth rate₂₀. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 for its smoking rate₄₅. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)42
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita42
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
21	Senegal	0.7
22	Oman	0.8
23	Indonesia	0.8
24	Azerbaijan	0.8
25	Algeria	0.9
26	Malaysia	0.9
27	Comoros	0.9
28	Iran	1.0
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₆ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₇ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₄₈ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₄₉. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₅₀. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
86	Kyrgyzstan	86
87	Moldova	87
88	Syria	88
89	Azerbaijan	89
90	Uganda	90
91	Chile	91
92	Tunisia	92
93	Bahrain	93
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)43
Pos.		Lower is better %43
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
85	Bosnia & Herzegovina	53.3
86	Paraguay	53.5
87	Kazakhstan	53.6
88	Azerbaijan	53.6
89	S. Africa	53.8
90	Georgia	54.2
91	Switzerland	54.3
92	Austria	54.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₁. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₂. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₂ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₃ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₄. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₅. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₅₆.

Smoking Rates (2014)45
Pos.		Lower is better45
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
167	Austria	1 988
168	S. Korea	2 073
169	Greece	2 086
170	Azerbaijan	2 114
171	Kazakhstan	2 157
172	Czechia	2 194
173	Bosnia & Herzegovina	2 233
174	China	2 250
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)41
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k41
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
4	Jordan	0.2
5	Maldives	0.7
6	Azerbaijan	1.3
7	S. Africa	1.8
8	Bahamas	2.5
9	Peru	2.9
10	Kuwait	3.6
11	Armenia	3.9
12	Dominican Rep.	4.6
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#Azerbaijan #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)20
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100020
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
121	Ethiopia	58.4
122	Palestine	58.6
123	Jamaica	59.7
124	Azerbaijan	59.8
125	Yemen	61.5
126	Philippines	61.7
127	Mexico	62.8
128	Argentina	63.8
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)44
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %44
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
104	Palau	92.4
105	Vietnam	92.3
106	Denmark	92.3
107	Azerbaijan	92.2
108	Australia	92.1
109	Barbados	92.1
110	Ghana	91.7
111	Lesotho	91.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries