GeoRealityMatch

The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of the country, and all but essential travel to other areas. FCDO travel advice, read 29 October 2026.

A vibrant view of Baku's skyline featuring modern architecture and lush greenery under a cloudy sky.Stunning view of Baku's modern skyline including the iconic Flame Towers and Caspian Sea waterfront.

Azerbaijan

Europe · Western Asia

Medium safetyVery affordable cost of livingHigh development

Access to essential health services is patchy.

Safety

109th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
2.142lower is more peacefulMedium safety
#109 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Homicides
2.2per 100,000 people a yearModerateUNODC / World Bank · 2023
Safety index
68.4Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferHighNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes below the median country

GNI per person
$7,360national income per person, US dollarsModerate
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
9.7New York = 100AffordableNumbeo · 2026
Property price to income
18.3years of median income to buy a median flatVery expensiveNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 200% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 67% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$15K$30K$26,113 PPP$7,411Inflation, % a year25%0200620102015202020252006, $2,473 a person, $9,398 at PPP, inflation 8.3%2007, $3,851 a person, $11,974 at PPP, inflation 16.7%2008, $5,574 a person, $13,217 at PPP, inflation 20.8%2009, $4,950 a person, $14,246 at PPP, inflation 1.5%2010, $5,844 a person, $14,930 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2011, $7,190 a person, $14,805 at PPP, inflation 7.9%2012, $7,496 a person, $15,994 at PPP, inflation 1.1%2013, $7,875 a person, $17,268 at PPP, inflation 2.4%2014, $7,891 a person, $17,564 at PPP, inflation 1.4%2015, $5,501 a person, $15,075 at PPP, inflation 4%2016, $3,881 a person, $14,536 at PPP, inflation 12.4%2017, $4,147 a person, $14,316 at PPP, inflation 12.9%2018, $4,740 a person, $15,283 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2019, $4,806 a person, $16,675 at PPP, inflation 2.6%2020, $4,230 a person, $15,164 at PPP, inflation 2.8%2021, $5,408 a person, $20,111 at PPP, inflation 6.7%2022, $7,771 a person, $22,549 at PPP, inflation 13.9%2023, $7,133 a person, $23,671 at PPP, inflation 8.8%2024, $7,295 a person, $25,146 at PPP, inflation 2.2%2025, $7,411 a person, $26,113 at PPP, inflation 5.6%$0$15K$30KInflation, % a year25%0200620102015202020252006, $2,473 a person, $9,398 at PPP, inflation 8.3%2007, $3,851 a person, $11,974 at PPP, inflation 16.7%2008, $5,574 a person, $13,217 at PPP, inflation 20.8%2009, $4,950 a person, $14,246 at PPP, inflation 1.5%2010, $5,844 a person, $14,930 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2011, $7,190 a person, $14,805 at PPP, inflation 7.9%2012, $7,496 a person, $15,994 at PPP, inflation 1.1%2013, $7,875 a person, $17,268 at PPP, inflation 2.4%2014, $7,891 a person, $17,564 at PPP, inflation 1.4%2015, $5,501 a person, $15,075 at PPP, inflation 4%2016, $3,881 a person, $14,536 at PPP, inflation 12.4%2017, $4,147 a person, $14,316 at PPP, inflation 12.9%2018, $4,740 a person, $15,283 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2019, $4,806 a person, $16,675 at PPP, inflation 2.6%2020, $4,230 a person, $15,164 at PPP, inflation 2.8%2021, $5,408 a person, $20,111 at PPP, inflation 6.7%2022, $7,771 a person, $22,549 at PPP, inflation 13.9%2023, $7,133 a person, $23,671 at PPP, inflation 8.8%2024, $7,295 a person, $25,146 at PPP, inflation 2.2%2025, $7,411 a person, $26,113 at PPP, inflation 5.6%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Around the middle for life expectancy

Life expectancy
74.6years, at birthModerate
#93 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
67WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100LowWHO · 2023
Air pollution
23.6PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageHighWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Fast home internet

Unemployment rate
5.5%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
91 Mbpsmedian download speedFastOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
454EF English Proficiency Index scoreLowEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet91 MbpsFast
Mobile95 MbpsModerate

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

Stunning view of Baku's modern skyline including the iconic Flame Towers and Caspian Sea waterfront.
How it changed

Azerbaijan's Human Development Index

0.789High human development

81st of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 42nd of 44 in Europe.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #79Peru0.794
  2. #80Grenada0.791
  3. #81Azerbaijan0.789
  4. #81Mexico0.789
  5. #83Colombia0.788
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1995

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.618 in 1995 to 0.789 in 2023.

0.550.700.850.78919952000201020231995: 0.6181996: 0.6221997: 0.6261998: 0.6361999: 0.6462000: 0.6522001: 0.6602002: 0.6692003: 0.6762004: 0.6822005: 0.6922006: 0.7112007: 0.7202008: 0.7312009: 0.7402010: 0.7442011: 0.7462012: 0.7512013: 0.7572014: 0.7662015: 0.7712016: 0.7722017: 0.7742018: 0.7752019: 0.7802020: 0.7572021: 0.7652022: 0.7842023: 0.7890.550.700.8519952000201020231995: 0.6181996: 0.6221997: 0.6261998: 0.6361999: 0.6462000: 0.6522001: 0.6602002: 0.6692003: 0.6762004: 0.6822005: 0.6922006: 0.7112007: 0.7202008: 0.7312009: 0.7402010: 0.7442011: 0.7462012: 0.7512013: 0.7572014: 0.7662015: 0.7712016: 0.7722017: 0.7742018: 0.7752019: 0.7802020: 0.7572021: 0.7652022: 0.7842023: 0.789

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 29 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
74.6 years2024at birthUp 6.9 years from 67.7 years in 2005
Internet users
91%2025of people onlineUp 79 points from 12% in 2006
Urban population
59%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 6 points from 53% in 2006
Births per woman
1.432024births per womanDown 0.57 from 2 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
1%2021of energy usedDown 2 points from 3% in 2004
Access to electricity
100%2024of people with electricityUp 1 point from 99% in 2005
Infant mortality
132024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 30 from 42 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
3.8 t2024of CO2 per person a yearUp 0.1 t from 3.7 t in 2005
Forest area
14%2023of land under forestUp 2 points from 12% in 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Oil-rich Caspian state where modern Baku contrasts with ancient landscapes; easy e-visa. The case against is patchy access to essential health services, polluted air and little English among locals.

About Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, with a capital that mixes futuristic architecture with a beautifully preserved medieval old city, and a countryside that ranges from lush green mountains to the otherworldly mud volcanoes of the Absheron Peninsula. The culture is warm and hospitable, with a distinctive cuisine and a tradition of tea-house culture that shapes daily social life. It is a genuinely surprising destination that rewards curiosity.

Practical facts

  • CapitalBaku
  • LanguagesAzerbaijani
  • CurrencyAzerbaijani manat (AZN)
  • Area82,650 km²
  • Plug typeType C/F
  • Drives on theright
Weigh Azerbaijan against your priorities
Every figure

Everything we hold on Azerbaijan

Compare Azerbaijan

Borders

ArmeniaGeorgiaIranRussiaTurkey

Side by side

Compare any two countries

Quick answers

What is Azerbaijan's Human Development Index?

Azerbaijan's Human Development Index is 0.789 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #81 of 193 by UNDP.

Is Azerbaijan safe?

Azerbaijan scores 2.14 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #109 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

How expensive is Azerbaijan?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Azerbaijan at 30.7 (New York = 100); that is #33 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Azerbaijan?

Life expectancy at birth in Azerbaijan is 74.6 yrs (World Bank), ranked #93 of 195 countries.

What is the quality of life in Azerbaijan?

Numbeo's quality-of-life index scores Azerbaijan at 111.1, ranked #69 of 87 countries with data. It composites purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, commute and pollution from resident surveys, so it reflects what residents report rather than what an economy produces.