Azernews.Az

BAKU – The population of Azerbaijan has grown by an average of 1.2 percent every year since 2005, the UN Population Fund estimates.

In a report, the fund also said measures to reduce poverty and improve healthcare services in the country continue to yield fruit.

According to the State Statistics Committee, the Azerbaijani population increased by 54,000 in the first half of 2011 to reach 9,165,000.

The report, released on the occasion of the World Population Day, predicts population increases in a number of world countries. In Armenia, to the contrary, the population is expected to fall in the coming decades.

The Armenian population, which is presently slightly over 3 million, is predicted to decrease to 2.5 million by 2050, according to the report.

Over 68 percent of 1,139 Armenian families polled by UN experts said they had no plans to have more children. Only 16 percent said they would like to have another child. The rest of respondents had difficulty in answering the question.

Armenian families’ unwillingness to have kids is due to challenging economic and social conditions in the country and some Armenian women’s focus on a career rather than their family, the report concluded.