AZE.US
A total of 877 girls under the age of 18 became mothers in Azerbaijan in 2025, according to data published by the State Statistical Committee.
The figure fell sharply from the previous year, AZE.US reports. In 2024, 1,279 underage girls gave birth, meaning the number declined by 402, or approximately 31%, within one year.
Historical data show that births to mothers under 18 increased substantially during the first decade of the century. There were 1,864 such births in 2000, 2,743 in 2005 and 4,103 in 2010.
The highest figure recorded between 2000 and 2025 was reported in 2011, when 4,392 children were born to mothers younger than 18.
The number generally declined in subsequent years, falling to 2,895 in 2015 and 1,917 in 2020. It stood at 1,650 in 2021 before temporarily rising to 2,011 in 2022.
The downward trend then resumed, with 1,742 births recorded in 2023, 1,279 in 2024 and 877 in 2025.
Despite the latest decline, the 2025 figure means that, on average, more than two underage girls became mothers in Azerbaijan every day.
Early motherhood may be associated with child marriage, interrupted education, limited access to reproductive health information and pressure from families or local communities.
Official statistics may also not fully reflect the extent of early informal or religious unions because not all such relationships are registered with state authorities.
The decline is a positive development. However, 877 cases in a single year show that underage motherhood remains a serious social and public health concern in Azerbaijan.
AZE.US