Deputy Minister: Non-oil exports in Azerbaijan grow by over 20 percent

Non-oil exports in Azerbaijan grew by over 20 percent, reaching $3.6 billion.

Operativ Media reports that Deputy Minister of Economy Azer Bayramov stated this during a joint meeting of the parliamentary committees on Agrarian Policy, Family, Women and Children Affairs, and Science and Education while discussing the draft law "On the 2027 State Budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan."

He stated that growth in the non-oil sector stood at 2.9 percent in the first 10 months of this year, with overall gross domestic product growth driven by the non-oil sector.

The deputy minister noted that during the reporting period, the non-oil and gas industry grew by 5.9 percent, the transport sector by 10.2 percent, and the information and communication sector by 9.9 percent.

According to Bayramov, excluding gold transactions by the State Oil Fund, non-oil exports increased by over 20 percent to reach 3.6 billion US dollars. Industrial products accounted for 60 percent of total exports.

He stated that economic growth is projected at 2.7 percent in 2027 and an average of 3.3 percent annually during 2027–2030. Over that period, the average annual growth of the non-oil sector is expected to reach 4.4 percent.

The deputy minister noted that over the medium term, growth is projected at 7 percent in the non-oil industry, 11 percent in the information and communication sector, over 8 percent in tourism, and above 5 percent in the transport sector.

Bayramov also highlighted the expansion of state support mechanisms for entrepreneurs. He said that part of exporters' transportation and customs clearance costs are compensated, while the investment promotion mechanism covers areas such as agroparks and modern greenhouses.

According to him, developing the private sector and creating new jobs in the liberated territories is of special importance for the sustainability of the Great Return. In these territories, support is provided for entrepreneurial activities in education, social services, and ICT projects alongside agriculture and aquaculture.

In his speech, the deputy minister also touched upon measures targeting the agrarian sector, education, science, and the development of female entrepreneurship. He stated that over 38,000 state-funded places have been set for bachelor's, master's, medical education, and residency programs for the 2026–2027 academic year.

According to Bayramov, the number of women registered as individual entrepreneurs in the country exceeds 363,000, the number of commercial legal entities founded by women exceeds 34,000, and the number of commercial entities headed by women exceeds 30,000.

He noted that in the first 10 months of this year, more than 22 million manats in concessional loans were provided to nearly 500 female entrepreneurs to finance investment projects. The funds were directed toward projects in agricultural production and processing, industry, aquaculture, tourism, and services.

The deputy minister added that since April 2025, women have completed over 70,000 training sessions under digital skills development programs. The proportion of women in ongoing training courses on machine learning and data analytics has increased from 42 percent to 59 percent.