Azerbaijan is a small country that was formerly a part of the Soviet Republic. The country consists of both urban and large agricultural areas, and some call it the Land of Fire due to a continuous, naturally burning mountain fire in its Caucasus mountains. Over the past decades, Azerbaijan has been steadily addressing its hunger issues and making important improvements. Here are 10 facts about hunger in Azerbaijan.

10 Facts About Hunger in Azerbaijan

1. Azerbaijan had a Global Hunger Index of 6.9 in 2023, which is a low level of hunger that ranked the country 34 out of the 125 countries with sufficient data for the calculation of a GHI score. The GHI is a scale ranging from zero hunger to 100 being the most severe hunger and is based on four factors – child stunting, child mortality, undernourishment and child wasting. 
2. The proportion of the population that is undernourished has decreased from 16.8% to less than 2.5% since 2000. 
3. Child stunting refers to the proportion of children under the age of 5 who experience low height as a result of chronic undernutrition. According to the Global Health Index, child stunting in Azerbaijan has decreased from over 24% in 2000 to 12% in 2023. 
4. A 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between UNICEF and Azerbaijan’s State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance included integrating baby-friendly standards into hospital maternity departments, training on monitoring child development, and counseling on infant and child feeding for frontline health workers. This was capacity building for essential child health and nutrition services. 
5. Child wasting refers to children who are underweight for their age as a result of severe undernourishment. The 2022 Global Nutrition Report cites wasting in Azerbaijan children under 5 at 3.2%, which it notes is below the Asian region average of 8.9% and is “on course” to meet the global nutrition target. While 14.1% of children are overweight, this metric is also seen as on target to prevent an increase. 
6. Iron-deficiency anemia is a condition in which a person does not have sufficient healthy red blood cells. This can often lead to headaches, shortness of breath, severe fatigue, weakness and multiple other symptoms. Iron-deficiency anemia in Azerbaijan affects 38.2% of women of reproductive age and 39.5% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 months. This leads to low-birth-weight babies and underweight children, respectively. 
7. A solution to combat iron deficiencies is flour fortification, which is the addition of nutrients such as folic acid and iron to flour.  UNICEF for several years has worked with government partners to achieve wheat flour fortification legislation. The Cabinet of Ministers in 2023 approved guidelines for the fortification of food products, with a national working group established to begin a pilot program.
8. In 2015, the U.N. Member States adopted the 2023 Agenda for Sustainable Development, comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The 2024 Sustainable Development Report notes that for SDG 2, Zero Hunger, Azerbaijan is moderately improving but major challenges remain, and the improvement will be insufficient to attain the goal of zero hunger by 2030. The goal objectives are to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.” Azerbaijan has achieved objectives relating to undernourishment, child wasting and cereal yield, with its most severe challenges related to child stunting, obesity, and sustainable nitrogen management. 
9. In March 2023, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization joined Azerbaijan State Agrarian University to hold an event to explore the role played by science and innovation to ensure food security. Participants in the event included government bodies, academics and experts. Specific topics focused on sustainable animal livestock in the country and integrated pest control measures. Sharing information with students on novel technologies to move from conventional farming practices to more advanced methods was seen as one means to address food security, especially within the context of climate change. 
10. In November 2021, the FAO reported on the Azerbaijan project, “Improving food security and living conditions in rural areas by increasing women’s economic power.” This initiative addressed SDG 2, Zero Hunger, SDG 5, Gender Equality and SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. The intention was to provide women equal access to economic opportunities as male farmers by increasing their technical knowledge in various areas, as well as supporting business development and marketing skills and agricultural innovations. The expectation is that by increasing the productivity of women in small farms, food security will also increase. 

With the rise of innovative programs and worldwide discussions, Azerbaijan has improved the state of its population’s hunger levels. By working with the United Nations and UNICEF, the country has been able to incorporate important research regarding child nutrition and farming techniques into achievable goals and programs. These 10 facts about hunger in Azerbaijan show the government’s dedication to further reducing hunger levels through educational resources and economic changes.

– Jane Burgan

Photo: Flickr
Updated: July 12, 2024