AZE.US
Azerbaijan should restore child allowance payments and expand state support for larger families as the country faces a continued decline in births, according to Tural Abbasli, chairman of the AĞ Party.
Official figures show that 34,056 babies were born in Azerbaijan during the first five months of 2026, a decrease of 4,780 from the same period last year.
Abbasli said falling birth numbers, later marriages, fewer children per household and high divorce rates could pose a serious long-term threat to Azerbaijan’s demographic security.
“The birth of a child is not only a private family matter. It also concerns the future and security of the state,” he said in comments to Globalinfo.az.
The AĞ Party has proposed restoring regular child allowance payments and changing the legal definition of a large family. Under the current rules, the status applies to families with five or more children. The party wants the threshold lowered to three.
It has also proposed providing state-funded housing to families with at least four children and covering children’s food and clothing expenses until a specified age.
Abbasli argued that such measures could encourage couples to have more children and strengthen the family institution.
He criticized the view that parents who cannot independently afford to raise a child should simply avoid having one, saying the state also has a direct interest in maintaining population growth.
Abbasli warned that if the birth rate falls below the level required for population replacement, Azerbaijan could face demographic changes that would be extremely difficult to reverse.
“Demographic policy cannot be left entirely to families,” he said. “The state must participate actively through legislation and financial incentives.”
AZE.US