Literacy In Azerbaijan: Current Rates And Future Prospects

Azerbaijan has a high literacy rate compared to other countries. In 2023, the adult literacy rate was 99.78% according to UNESCO, a slight decline from 99.8% in 2019. The literacy rate in Azerbaijan has fluctuated in recent years but has generally increased since 2010. During the Soviet era, literacy levels rose dramatically from a very low starting point, and according to Soviet data, 100% of males and females aged 9 to 49 were literate in 1970.

Azerbaijan's adult literacy rate in 2023

Azerbaijan's adult literacy rate has fluctuated in recent years but has generally increased over time. According to Soviet data, 100% of males and females (aged 9 to 49) were literate in 1970. However, during the pre-Soviet period, the Azerbaijani literacy rate was very low, especially among women, as few women were allowed to attend school.

Today, Azerbaijan's literacy rate is considered high compared to other countries. Literacy in this context refers to the ability to read and write a short, simple statement about one's everyday life and generally also encompasses numeracy, or the ability to perform simple arithmetic calculations.

Male and female literacy rates

Azerbaijan has a high literacy rate compared to other countries. The adult literacy rate in Azerbaijan in 2023 was 99.78% or 99.8%, a slight decline from 2019. In 1999, the literacy rate was at its lowest at 98.79%.

The literacy rate for males in Azerbaijan is 99.84%, and for females, it is 99.73%. This is a very small difference, and it is impressive that the female literacy rate is so high. In the pre-Soviet period, few women were allowed to attend school, and the literacy rate among women was very low. In the Soviet era, literacy levels rose dramatically, and by 1970, 100% of males and females were literate, according to Soviet data.

The right to education is a fundamental right in Azerbaijan, and the country has compulsory education for children between the ages of six and fifteen. Education is free and compulsory through the ninth grade. The Azerbaijani system has undergone little structural change since independence, but one of the first laws passed was to adopt a modified Latin alphabet to replace Cyrillic.

Literacy rate in Azerbaijan vs other countries

Azerbaijan has a high literacy rate compared to other countries. The adult literacy rate in Azerbaijan for 2023 was 99.78% or 99.8% according to different sources, a slight decline from 99.8% in 2019. This is significantly higher than the world average in 2019, which was 90.02% based on 27 countries.

Azerbaijan's literacy rate has fluctuated in recent years but has generally increased since 2010. The country's literacy rate is impressive, especially considering its history. During the pre-Soviet period, Azerbaijani education included Islamic religious training, and the majority of ethnic Azerbaijani children received no education, with very few girls allowed to attend school. As a result, the literacy rate remained very low. In the Soviet era, literacy levels rose dramatically, and by 1970, 100% of males and females (ages 9 to 49) were literate, according to Soviet data.

Since independence, Azerbaijan has worked on restoring, improving, and developing its education system. The country has implemented various educational reforms and projects, including supporting the implementation of a new general education curriculum and curriculum reforms, developing new learning materials and school libraries, and modernizing teacher training. Azerbaijan's education system is regulated by the Ministry of Education, and education is compulsory for children between the ages of six and fifteen. The main language of instruction is Azerbaijani, but Russian is also taught as a second language, and there are many schools that offer education in Russian.

While Azerbaijan has a high literacy rate, there is still room for improvement in terms of fulfilling the right to education based on the country's income level. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) finds that Azerbaijan is achieving only 85.6% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education, with 81.0% for primary education and 90.3% for secondary education.

Azerbaijan's literacy rate in the Soviet era

Azerbaijan's literacy rate has remained high in the post-Soviet era, with a rate of 99.78% in 2023. However, during the Soviet era, the country experienced a dramatic increase in literacy rates from a very low starting point.

In the pre-Soviet era, education in Azerbaijan included Islamic religious training that commenced in early childhood. Beginning at roughly age five, children attended madrasahs—education institutions affiliated with mosques. In the 17th and 18th centuries, madrasahs were established as separate education institutions in major cities, but the religious component of education remained significant. It was not until the late 19th century that secular elementary schools for Azerbaijanis began to appear, though institutions of higher education and the use of the Azerbaijani language in secondary schools were forbidden in Transcaucasia throughout the tsarist period. As a result, the majority of ethnic Azerbaijani children received no education during this time, and the literacy rate remained very low, especially among women.

In the Soviet era, literacy and average education levels rose significantly. According to Soviet data, 100% of males and females (ages nine to forty-nine) were literate in 1970. This increase in literacy was due in part to the Soviet policy of "indigenisation" (korenizatsiya), which promoted the development and use of non-Russian local and regional languages in government, media, and education. This policy, which lasted from the mid-1920s to the late 1930s, aimed to counter the historical practices of Russification and assure native-language education as the quickest way to increase the educational levels of future generations.

During the Soviet period, the Azerbaijani education system was based on the standard model imposed by Moscow, which included state control of all educational institutions and heavy doses of Marxist-Leninist ideology at all levels. The curriculum was also changed radically, with traditional subjects such as reading, writing, arithmetic, and science being abolished in favour of "complex themes" such as "the life and labour of the family in village and town". However, this system proved unsuccessful, and in 1928, the curriculum was changed again to resume instruction in individual subjects.

Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has made education a priority, with one of the first laws passed being the adoption of a modified-Latin alphabet to replace Cyrillic. Additionally, religious education has been re-established, and curriculum changes have reemphasized the use of the Azerbaijani language and eliminated ideological content.

Education system in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan's adult literacy rate in 2023 was 99.8%, according to some sources, or 99.78% according to others. This is a slight decline from 2019, when the literacy rate was 99.8%. The literacy rate in Azerbaijan is high compared to the rest of the world.

Education in Azerbaijan is regulated by the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan. The system has a democratic, secular character and is based on national and international values. All citizens are entitled to 9 years of compulsory general education, which is free for children between the ages of 6 and 15. Basic schooling is divided into three stages: primary education, general secondary, and full secondary education.

In the pre-Soviet period, Azerbaijani education included Islamic religious training that commenced in early childhood. In the 17th and 18th centuries, madrasahs were established as separate education institutions in major cities, providing religious instruction. In the late 19th century, secular elementary schools for Azerbaijanis began to appear, but institutions of higher education and the use of the Azerbaijani language in secondary schools were forbidden in Transcaucasia throughout the tsarist period. The majority of ethnic Azerbaijani children received no education during this time, and the literacy rate remained very low, especially among women.

During the Soviet era, literacy and average education levels rose dramatically from these low starting points, despite two changes in the script, from Arabic to Latin in the 1920s and from Latin to Cyrillic in the 1930s. In the Soviet period, the Azerbaijani education system was based on the standard model imposed by Moscow, which featured state control of all education institutions and heavy doses of Marxist-Leninist ideology at all levels. Since independence, one of the first laws passed was to adopt a modified Latin alphabet to replace Cyrillic. The Azerbaijani system has since undergone little structural change.

There are 61 higher education institutions, including universities, in Baku and the surrounding regions. Public schools offer 11 years of education, including primary, general secondary, and full secondary education. The medium of instruction is Azerbaijani, but due to Soviet influence, many public schools still offer Russian as a medium of instruction. There are also many schools that offer all 9 years of general education, 3 years of higher education, and bachelor's degrees in Russian.

There is a wide choice of private schools for both expats and locals, with Turkish lyceums and international schools being the most popular. Unfortunately, due to language barriers, expats are generally unable to benefit from public schools.

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