About the State Statistical Committee

The regular organization of statistics in the territory of Azerbaijan began after the establishment of the Shamakhi (from 1846 to 1859), Baku (1859) and Ganja (1867) governorates with the activity of statistical committees within them.

The annual reports of the governorates compiled from that period until 1917, comprising 20-27 statistical tables, contained numerous statistical data, including information on the number of population, livestock, workers, fairs, factories and plants, the crops and products, fair turnover, trade prices of main goods, the number of military personnel, and many other information.

During the 23-month existence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920), although it was not fully possible to establish a single body in charge of statistical issues throughout the country, certain statistical units were created within individual ministries. From November 15, 1918, these units operated as the Statistics Department within the Ministry of State Property and Agriculture, and from July 1919, as the Statistics Bureau within the Land Fund Department of the Ministry of Agriculture.

On July 8, 1920, the Statute on the Temporary Board of Statisticians was approved by the Azerbaijan Revolutionary Committee with the signature of Nariman Narimanov.

From 1924 onwards, the establishment of local statistical bodies began in the territory of Azerbaijan, and in subsequent years statistical bodies were created in all localities.

On September 28, 1928, the Central Executive Committee of Azerbaijan and the Council of People’s Commissars of the Azerbaijan SSR approved a new statute on the Central Statistical Department of the Azerbaijan SSR.

In August 1948, the Central Statistical Department of the republic was separated from the State Planning Commission and subordinated to the Central Statistical Department under the Council of Ministers of the USSR. This change was of great significance for improving the performance of statistical bodies.

In 1987, the Central Statistical Department of the Azerbaijan SSR became the State Statistical Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR, and the Statute of the State Statistical Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR was approved by the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR dated 30 March 1988.

The year 1994 was a milestone in the history of Azerbaijani statistics. On 18 February 1994, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, signed the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Statistics”. The Law provided for the establishment of the State Register of economic entities in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the development of national classifications harmonized with international classifications, the conduct of state statistical surveys throughout the country, statistical confidentiality, social protection of employees of state statistical bodies, and other specific provisions, taking into account all the requirements of the "Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in the UNECE region”, approved by the decision of the 47th session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe held in Geneva on 15 April 1992.

During the period of independence, particular attention has been paid to improving official statistics in Azerbaijan, completing reforms in this field and aligning them with international standards, expanding public access to statistical information and further developing statistics in line with economic policy of the state, improving information support for the socio-economic development of the country, bringing the system of statistical indicators up to the global standards level, obtaining new statistical data characterizing the integration of the national economy into the global economy and raising it to the level of international statistical standards has been the focus of attention. For this purpose, the State Statistical Committee has developed and implemented state programs on reforms in the field of statistics and its improvement. During these years, 6 State Programs (covering the years 1993-1997, 1998-2002, 2003-2007, 2008-2012, 2013-2017, 2018-2025) were implemented, the last State Program covering the years 2026-2030 was approved by the Order of the President No. 860 dated 25 December 2025, and its implementation has commenced.

The main objective of the State Program is to develop official statistics through the implementation of a comprehensive set of measures aimed at improving statistical works in line with socio-economic processes and modern challenges at both national and international levels. These measures include the organization of statistical surveys in social, economic and other fields and the development of methodologies, metadata and classifications, legal, administrative and information support for the production of official statistical materials, increasing user satisfaction, international cooperation, strengthening of the material and technical base and human resources, as well as the identification of strategic development priorities of the national statistical system for the next multi-year period.

The well-known statement of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev – “The State Statistical Committee is one of the main bodies” – engraved in the memory of the country's statisticians, is a clear example of the high esteem accorded to the State Statistical Committee.

At present, the system of the State Statistical Committee consists of the Administration, the State Statistical Committee of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the Baku City Statistical Office, 71 regional (city) statistical offices and a subordinate institution not included in the structure of the State Statistical Committee - the Centre of Scientific Research and Statistical Innovations.