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Akbar Novruz

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The number of foreign nationals and stateless persons arriving in Azerbaijan declined by 6% in the first nine months of 2026, with a sharp reduction in arrivals from Gulf countries contributing to the overall decrease.

According to the State Statistical Committee, Azerbaijan received 1,831,800 foreign nationals and stateless persons from 191 countries between January and September.

Russia accounted for the largest share of arrivals at 27.1%, followed by Türkiye with 19.4% and Iran with 7.7%.

Other major countries of origin included Georgia (4.9%), Kazakhstan (4.5%), Israel (3.7%), Pakistan (3.5%), Uzbekistan (3.1%), China (2.8%), India (2.6%) and Saudi Arabia (2.4%).

Ukraine accounted for 1.6% of arrivals, followed by Turkmenistan (1.3%), Germany and the United Kingdom (1.1% each), and Belarus (1%). Visitors from other countries and stateless persons made up the remaining 12.2%.

Men represented 66.8% of all arrivals, while women accounted for 33.2%.

Despite the overall decline, arrivals from European Union member states increased by 6.1% year-on-year to 94,200. The number of arrivals from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries also rose, climbing 4.3% to 699,000.

By contrast, arrivals from Gulf countries fell by 32% to 218,300, marking the sharpest decline among the reported regional categories. Arrivals from other countries decreased by 5.5% to 820,300.

Air transport remained the dominant means of entry, accounting for 73.5% of arrivals. Another 25.2% entered Azerbaijan by road or rail, while 1.3% travelled by sea.

The State Statistical Committee also reported a decline in outbound travel by Azerbaijani citizens.

Between January and September 2026, approximately 1,575,300 Azerbaijani citizens travelled abroad, down 1.8% compared with the corresponding period of 2025.

Türkiye remained the leading destination, accounting for 44% of outbound travel, with the number of Azerbaijani visitors increasing by 2.3% year-on-year.

Russia ranked second with 14.6%, although travel to the country declined by 2%. Georgia accounted for 13% of outbound trips, recording an increase of 17.6%.

Meanwhile, Iran received 5.1% of Azerbaijani outbound travellers, with the number of visits falling sharply by 44.5%.

Other destinations collectively accounted for 23.3% of outbound travel, representing a 2% decrease compared with the previous year.

Men made up 64.1% of Azerbaijani citizens travelling abroad, while women accounted for 35.9%.

Air transport was used by 70.4% of outbound travellers, followed by road and rail transport at 27.6%, and maritime transport at 2%.

The figures indicate contrasting trends in Azerbaijan's international travel flows, with increased arrivals from the EU and CIS countries offset by substantial declines from Gulf states and other markets.