More information

Data sources:

9.1. Main indicators characterizing protection of water resources and their rational use provided by the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan

9.3. Main indicators characterizing water resources by types of economic activities provided by the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan faces water stress conditions, as more than 30 % of the annual freshwater resources are abstracted to meet water demands. In 2017, the estimated water exploitation index was 41.2 %. Meanwhile, the country is heavily dependent on external inflow from upstream basins where surface waters enter Azerbaijan in a heavily polluted state (UNECE, 2011). The dependency ratio for upstream is greater than 70 % of total renewable freshwater resources. Since 2000, the renewable freshwater resources have also substantially decreased by 20 %, whereas the total population of the country has increased by 22 % during the same period.

The average annual total freshwater use is around 7 678.9 million m³, and there has been a substantial increase during recent years, increasing from 7 937 hm³ in 2000 to 8 493 million m³ in 2017. More than 80 % of the annual water demand is met from surface water resources, and there has been increasing pressure on groundwater since 2000.

Agriculture is the highest water demanding sector in Azerbaijan. About 75.8 % of total freshwater use is accounted for by this sector, followed by the electricty industry (18 %) and households (3 %) in 2017. As as result of the introduction of water metering and improvements in the distribution network (UNECE, 2011), water use by households has substantially decreased (by 42 %) between 2000 and 2017, whereas the total population has increased.

Is water efficiently used by economic activities?