BAKU, Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan has raised pay for tens of thousands of health workers as the country confronts a shrinking physician workforce, a shortage of younger doctors and a growing number of Azerbaijan-linked physicians registered in Germany.
The number of doctors in Azerbaijan fell to 34,776 at the beginning of 2026 from 35,233 a year earlier, a decline of 457, or about 1.3%, according to the State Statistical Committee’s Health Care, Social Protection and Housing Conditions in Azerbaijan 2026 yearbook. The number of doctors per 10,000 residents declined to 33.9 from 34.5.
The figures do not show that all of the decrease was caused by emigration. Retirement, career changes and other departures from the labor force can also reduce the total. But German statistics point to a continuing rise in the number of physicians associated with Azerbaijan in that country.
As of Dec. 31, 2025, Germany had 2,156 registered physicians listed under Azerbaijan, up 9.7% from a year earlier, according to the German Medical Association’s 2025 physician statistics. Of those, 2,015 were professionally active: 1,826 worked in hospitals, 90 in outpatient care and 99 in other medical fields. Another 141 were not practicing.
Pay Reform Covers More Than 72,000 Workers
Azerbaijan’s Administration of the Regional Medical Divisions, known as TƏBİB, introduced a broad salary reform on Sept. 1, 2026. The agency said the changes cover 72,212 employees at public medical institutions and will increase the annual payroll by 189 million manats, or about $111.2 million at Azerbaijan’s official exchange rate of 1.7 manats to the dollar.
The affected employees include 36,041 mid-level medical workers, 20,367 junior medical workers, 8,675 outpatient doctors and 7,129 doctors in other targeted specialties, according to the official TƏBİB announcement.
| Position | Previous Monthly Pay | New Monthly Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Family and district doctors | 1,150 manats | 2,000 manats |
| Doctors at the national emergency center | 1,550 manats | 2,200 manats |
| Emergency doctors at medical centers | 1,550 manats | 2,500 manats |
| Emergency doctors at 3A and 3B facilities | 2,100 manats | 3,000 manats |
| Pediatric anesthesiologist-resuscitators in the regions | 1,450 manats | 3,000 manats |
| Neonatologists in the regions | 1,450 manats | 2,400 manats |
| Hemodialysis doctors | 1,450 manats | 2,250 manats |
| Doctors in selected shortage specialties in the regions | 1,450 manats | 2,150 manats |
The largest increase in the published schedule was for pediatric anesthesiologist-resuscitators working outside the main cities, whose monthly pay rose 107% to 3,000 manats, or roughly $1,765. Family and district doctors received a 74% increase, while regional neonatologists received a 66% increase.
TƏBİB also introduced regional incentives for certain services outside Baku, the Absheron Peninsula, Sumgayit and Ganja. Eligible doctors receive a 1.3 multiplier on performance-related bonus payments, an effort to make work in understaffed districts more attractive.
Young Doctors Face a Difficult Start
Higher salaries address only part of the retention problem. Young doctors must also find open positions, obtain practical experience and receive adequate supervision after completing their formal training.
A report published in October 2025 said medical residents were receiving 400 to 500 manats a month. That figure has not been confirmed as a uniform national rate for all residents in 2026, and payments can vary by institution and training arrangement.
In January 2026, lawmaker Rashad Mahmudov said residents’ payments were formally treated as stipends rather than salaries and proposed parliamentary hearings on the issue. Parliamentary Health Committee Chairman Ahliman Amiraslanov also called for a mechanism allowing hospitals to supplement residents’ income from their own revenue.
Physician Huseyn Huseynzade has argued that newly trained doctors face barriers to gaining hands-on experience and securing their first permanent job, according to a report by Kaspi. Without clearer entry routes, mentorship and predictable career progression, larger salaries for established posts may not be enough to keep younger specialists in the country.
An Aging Workforce
Workforce demographics add to the pressure. TƏBİB said in October 2025 that roughly 76% of doctors were between ages 35 and 55, while only 10.3% were younger than 35. The imbalance means the system must recruit and retain younger physicians as older doctors approach retirement.
The September pay increases are therefore a significant retention measure, particularly for emergency care, family medicine and hard-to-fill regional specialties. But the data suggest that pay reform will have to be paired with more vacancies, stronger residency training, mentorship and long-term career opportunities if Azerbaijan is to reverse the decline in its physician workforce.
Source: Vesti Baku, the State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan, TƏBİB, the German Medical Association and Kaspi.