Demographic Development of the Rural Population and Its Regulation in the Northern Border Regions of Azerbaijan

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to study the features and typical problems of the demographic development of the rural population settling the northern border districts of Azerbaijan with searching for solutions to regulate demographic processes. Materials and methods. The author studied the natural increase among the rural population living in the nine northern border districts of Azerbaijan, identified the trends in the age composition of the population, and their causes, as well as identified specific problems based on statistical methods and field research.Results and discussion. It has been established that in the northern border districts, natural growth occurs mainly due to male infants born and to a greater extent among the rural population. Despite the high natural increase, some villages along the border are empty and falling into recession as a result of lagging socio-economic development from the de- mographic one. The decrease in the annual natural increase among the rural population per 1,000 people in the northern border districts of Azerbaijan (from 23,3 people to 4,2 people) is mainly due to economic factors. The northern border districts of Azerbaijan are dominated by the rural population, which makes up 71 % of the total population. In the region, the rural population is concentrated mostly in Sheki, Khachmaz and Zagatala districts, and to a lesser extent in Oguz and Gakh districts. Conclusion. An analysis of the statistics of births and deaths shows that compared to 1990, the number of births in 2021 has been decreased, while the number of deaths has been increased. Hence, there is a need for early warning and the preparation of appropriate programs.