Average monthly nominal wages for employees in Azerbaijan reached AZN 1,173 in January-August 2026, up 7.2% year on year. The State Statistics Committee’s October release also reports 1.777 million employees as of September 1. The wage figure still covers eight months, not the whole third quarter.
Public and non-state employment
The public sector employed 834,200 people and the non-state sector 942,600. Non-state employers accounted for about 53.1% of employees, compared with 46.9% in the public sector. These are shares of headcount, not payroll: they do not show which sector pays the larger share of total wages.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Average wage, January-August | 1173 AZN |
| Nominal growth | +7.2% |
| Employees at September 1 | 1 776 800 |
| Public sector | 834 200 |
| Non-state sector | 942 600 |
Where jobs are concentrated
Trade and vehicle repair accounted for 18.9% of employee jobs, education 17.5% and industry 13.9%. Together they represented 50.3%, slightly more than half of employment. Health and social services followed at 8.6%, and construction at 6.8%. Financial and insurance activities accounted for 2.5%.
Average does not mean typical
The mean combines industries, occupations and pay levels. It does not imply that most workers receive AZN 1,173. A median or a distribution of employees by wage bracket is needed to describe typical earnings. The figures also concern employees rather than all household income, including business income and self-employment.
Reading the 7.2% increase
This is nominal growth: it measures the amount paid, not purchasing power. Assessing real wage growth requires inflation for the same January-August period. Comparing it with a September-only index would mix periods. For employers, these figures describe the size and sectoral composition of the employee labour market, rather than providing a ready-made salary benchmark for a specific vacancy.