BAKU, Azerbaijan - The Central Bank of Azerbaijan raised its forecast for the country’s 2026 current-account surplus to $8.5 billion from $6.1 billion.
The new projection is $2.4 billion, or about 39%, higher than the previous estimate. The central bank said the surplus would exceed 10% of gross domestic product.
For 2027, the regulator expects a current-account surplus of $5.4 billion, equivalent to more than 6% of GDP.
Export Prices Support Outlook
The central bank attributed the upgrade to high prices for Azerbaijan’s main export commodities and continued positive trends in exports of non-oil and gas goods and services.
Central Bank Chairman Taleh Kazimov cited the previous $6.1 billion projection in late September, meaning the outlook improved substantially within about a month.
Azerbaijan recorded a $10.5 billion foreign-trade surplus in the first nine months of 2026. The trade balance is an important part of the current account, but the two measures are not identical: the current account also includes services, income and transfers.
A current-account surplus means the country receives more from its external transactions than it pays abroad. The result supports foreign-currency supply and reserves but remains sensitive to oil and gas prices, export volumes and external demand.
Sources: Report; APA; Vesti Baku.