Food costs have reached an average of 50% of the monthly retail expenditures for Azerbaijani households, the Azerbaijani State Statistical Committee reported on Thursday. When combined with household expenses on beverages and tobacco products, the total reached more than 54%. The figures, which accounted for spending in the first six months of 2026, represented a combined 2.7% increase in such expenditures compared to the same period in 2025, and far outstripped neighbouring Armenia and Georgia.

14.08.2026

According to the state committee, over ₼20 billion ($11 billion) went toward food, beverages, and tobacco products, while over ₼17 billion ($10 billion) were spent on other goods.

The committee stated that over the reporting period, ‘the average monthly retail expenditure per person was ₼530 ($310), consisting of ₼290 ($170) for food, beverages, and tobacco products and ₼240 ($140) for non-food goods’.

Economist Natig Jafarli said on social media that if half of the funds spent by citizens in a month go towards food, ‘the population of such a country is considered poor’.

He stressed the increase of the prices and noted that food, beverages, and tobacco products increased by ₼1.5 billion ($880 million) comparing with the same period of the previous year.

Speculating on the reason for such an increase, Jafarli said it ‘serves as an indicator of inflation and rising prices’.

He compared the Azerbaijani population’s spending on pharmaceutical and medical products with figures from the same period in 2025, noting that ‘products worth over ₼1 billion ($600 million) were sold through the retail network (pharmacies) — an increase in sales volume of 23.8%’.

‘So, what happened? Did people start getting sick more often? Possibly, but there is no data to confirm that; rather, the prices of medicines rose sharply, causing citizens’ medical expenses to increase by approximately 24% over the past year’, Jafarli said.

‘The population’s real income is not rising, GDP growth rates are low, we face challenges in generating value added, and economic activity is weak — yet price growth remains significant’, Jafarli concluded.

Although the exact reporting periods do not overlap, food spending in Azerbaijan as a percentage of total expenditures far surpassed those in Georgia and Armenia.

In 2024, food spending accounted for around 40% of average monthly expenditures in Armenia, while in Georgia, even though food costs also increased in 2025, they accounted for around 38% of average monthly expenditures.

Source: https://oc-media.org/food-costs-in-azerbaijan-reach-50-of-average-monthly-expenditures-data-shows/.