Azerbaijan is a unitary semi-presidential republic led by Ilham Aliyev since 2003, with Nakhchivan as an autonomous exclave. The state relies on oil and gas exports, took full control of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 and restricts independent media.
In the 12 Axes register, Azerbaijan leans hardest on Democratic – Autocratic: Autocratic 95%; the register median is balanced 50%.
Take the test and this line shows how close your twelve scores are to Azerbaijan, and the axis where you differ most.
Where Azerbaijan sits on each of the twelve axes, in four categories. The label is our estimate; the line under it says why.
Centralized
Centralised, Nakhchivan has nominal autonomy
Autocracy
Aliyev family in power since 1993
Authoritarian
Journalists and activists imprisoned
Nationalist
Nationalist foreign policy after Karabakh
Military-Focused
Took Karabakh by force in 2023; peace text initialled 2025
Assimilationist
Azerbaijani identity prioritised
Mixed Economic
State oil company SOCAR dominates
Balanced
Energy exports and state-led investment
Moderate
Pipeline exports, selective trade
Moderate
Secular state, Shia-majority population
Conservative
Same-sex acts legal since 2000; no partnership recognition
Neutral
No distinct state stance
Set against the median of all 195 countries in the register.
Democratic – Autocratic
On Democratic – Autocratic, Azerbaijan is at Autocratic 95%. The register median is balanced 50%.
Collectivize – Privatize
On Collectivize – Privatize, Azerbaijan is at balanced 50%, almost the register median of balanced 50%.
Closeness is 100 minus the root-mean-square distance on all twelve axes.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · freedomhouse.org
Map: en:User:Night w, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and resized.
Last updated: 2026-10-15
The tiers on this page are our estimates from public positions and policies. They are not an official statement by the person or the government concerned. Two independent passes scored every axis and a third settled the differences. How the register works. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].
