AZERBAIJAN

Azerbaijan has some of the worst health indicators in the former Soviet Union. The latest UNICEF (2000) figures suggest 43 mothers die for every 100,000 live births. Between 1990 and 1996, overall life expectancy fell from 67 to 66.3 years for men and from 74.8 to 73.8 for women

Population: approximately 8 million. Located on the western shores of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan has considerable potential for oil and gas production.

Approximately 1 million Azeris were displaced following Azerbaijan’s 1988 conflict with neighbouring Armenia, and the subsequent loss of the Nagorno Karabakh. The dispersal of these refugees to camps across Azerbaijan has exacerbated the socio-economic situation for a total population of only 8 million.