TheAzerbaijani diaspora are the communities ofAzerbaijanis living outside the places of their ethnic origin:Azerbaijan and theIranian region of Azerbaijan. The total number of the Azerbaijani diaspora varies by sources, however, at least 5–10 million Azeris live outside of Iran and Azerbaijan.
According toEthnologue, there were over 1 million Azerbaijani-speakers of the north dialect in southernDagestan,Armenia,Estonia,Georgia,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Russia,Turkmenistan andUzbekistan as of 1993.[33] Other sources, such as national censuses, confirm the presence of Azerbaijanis throughout the formerSoviet Union. The Ethnologue figures are outdated in the case of Armenia, where theNagorno-Karabakh conflict has affected the population of Azerbaijanis.[34] Ethnologue further reports that an additional 1 millionIranian Azerbaijanis live outside Iran, but these figures most likely are a reference to theIraqi Turkmen, a distinct though related Turkic people.[35] The number of Azerbaijanis around the world is estimated about 30-35 million people, only 10,180,770[36] of which are in Azerbaijan and another 13-30 million in Iran.[37][38][39][40][41][42][43]
The Azerbaijani diaspora in theUnited States andCanada was established in the mid-to-late 20th century. TheAzerbaijanis have settled in the North, Central and Southern parts of the U.S. and in all major Canadian cities. The majority of Azerbaijanis have settled in the states ofCalifornia,New Jersey, New York,Michigan,Pennsylvania,Texas and District of Columbia. Most Azerbaijanis living in the U.S. are migrants fromIran.
The US Azerbaijanis network combines all Azerbaijani, Turkish and other Diaspora and community organizations of USA, groups, societies, coalitions, networks associations and clubs. Purpose of this network is to bring together Azerbaijani-American potential electorate. Activity of USAN is to inform voters about the voting process and voter registration, to provide their participation in the American political debate, to enhance their participation in the vote and to increase voter turnout. Executive Director of the American Azerbaijanis Network (USAN) is Adil Bagirov and it was founded in 2007.[45]
Azerbaijan America Alliance is a non-governmental organization. Its mission is to help form an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect between the peoples of Azerbaijan and America. The 20th anniversary of theKhojaly genocide was held in February 2012, which is the one of its most significant events. Demonstration of posters and banners in the streets of New York and Washington, D.C., statements by U.S. Congressmen, presentation of films about the Khojaly genocide and other events were all a part of the commemoration. One page each inThe Washington Post andThe New York Times were dedicated to the Khojaly genocide.[46][47][48][49]
Azerbaijan Society of America which is the first Azerbaijani-American community organization was established in 1957 inNew Jersey, USA byNaghi Sheykhzamanli.[50][51] His granddaughter Tomris Azari is current chairman of the American Azerbaijanis Society. As well as, Tomris is deputy chairwoman of the Coordinating Council of the World Azerbaijanis. She was awarded the "Order of Glory" byIlham Aliyev in 2006.[52]
TheU.S.-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) was established in 1995. Its mission is to help the establishment of long-term business ties between Azerbaijan and America. It was a main driving force for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline. USACC provides the improvement of network services between governmental and non-governmental entities, business organizations of the US and Azerbaijan.[53]
The council has been operating in Washington since 1994. The organization arranges series of events, exhibitions and seminars in research centers related to Azerbaijani culture. The members of the organization send statements and letters to the president, all state delegates, senators, congressmen, as well as to the press, about theKhojaly Massacre,March days, theNagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as other issues. The American-Azerbaijani Council was registered in 2006 as a non-governmental organization. The council is the largest Azerbaijani organization operating in California. The purpose of the council is to bring together ideas ofAzerbaijanism, to present these ideas through educational and cultural programs. The Council regularly organizes forums. Azerbaijani students studying in California and people doing a research about Azerbaijan are invited to the forum and economic, political and technological issues are discussed in this forums. American-Azerbaijan Council has a representative office inTexas. The president of the American-Azerbaijani Council is Javid Huseynov.[54][55]
TheNetwork of Azerbaijani Canadians (NAC,French:Réseau des Canadiens Azerbaïdjanais,Azerbaijani:Kanadalı Azərbaycanlılar Şəbəkəsi) is a fully community-funded and the largest grassroots Azerbaijani advocacy organization inCanada. Founded in 2020, the organization advocates on behalf ofAzerbaijani Canadians in matters of public policy. The organization is based inToronto; board members and organization members are spread across Canada includingOttawa,Edmonton,Calgary,Montreal andVancouver. The Network of Azerbaijani Canadians is a registered non-profit and managed by its board of directors.[56] Nika Jabiyeva is the executive director of NAC, appointed by the organization's board of directors.[57]
Association of Washington State Azerbaijanis (AWSA)
Association of Washington State Azerbaijanis was in May 2024 to promote and preserve Azerbaijani culture and language in the region.[58] Its mission emphasizes fostering a strong Azerbaijani identity through educational programs, cultural events, language classes, and community initiatives, aimed at creating an inclusive environment for Azerbaijanis to connect and share their traditions.
Azerbaijanis in Iran.Iranian Azerbaijan, also known as South Azerbaijan, is considered to be the primary home of Azerbaijanis"Young noble Tatar,"Shusha, 1865
In the present-day, besides Central Asia, a sizeable population of Azerbaijanis also live inEast Asia. The ancestors of Azerbaijanis have had a historical presence in theFar East (East Asia) and theGobi-Manchurian steppe since the formation of theGöktürk Khaganate (552–744 CE), a Turkic state that spanned from the territories ofGoguryeo toGreater Caucasus. Although there are no official numbers of Azerbaijani nationals in thePeople's Republic of China, reports of theRepublic of Korea state that there are 608 Azeris living in the country, of which about 200 of them areuniversity students.[68][69] Statistics on foreign residents of Japan have reported 166 Azerbaijanis residing in the country.[70] However, there are also estimates that 30,000 Azerbaijanis currently reside in China and some 10,000 in Japan.[71] Korean nationals of Azerbaijani descent represent a small community. While some have acquiredSouth Korean citizenship through marriage, others have done so by pursuinghigher education. Azerbaijanis in Korea are particularly prominent in thebusiness sector, with many employed by majorKorean corporations. Additionally, a significant number are engaged in roles withingovernmental organizations.[72] Influx of Azerbaijanis to East Asia may be explained by the economic prosperity of the nations in the region. Economic opportunities and academic endeavors are among many factors that can attribute to migration to the region.
The Federation of Turkish-Azerbaijani Associations was established in 2004 inKocaeli. The Heydar Aliyev Park was opened in the Kartepe municipal area on the eve of the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day in 2010 as a result of the activity of Turkish-Azerbaijani Associations Federation. Another park in Derince was put into operation on 29 November 2011. A chairman of Turkey-Azerbaijan Federation of Associations is Bilal Dundar.[73][74]
The Azerbaijani Youth Union of Russia was established on 18 April 2009 inMoscow. Its purpose is to protect the Azerbaijan national cultural values, support of Azerbaijani youth, better integration of Azerbaijani youth into the cultural life of Russian society and the development of education. Its central office is located in Moscow and there are several regional offices in the north and west of Russia, Volga area, North Caucasus, Far East and Siberia. The chairwoman isLeyla Aliyeva.[75][76]
TheState Committee of Azerbaijan Republic on Work with Diaspora was established to handle the communication with the diaspora and to drive the creation of new societies and organizations. In 2004 the committee effected the creation of about 40 new Azerbaijani communities worldwide.[77]
Current number of Azerbaijanis in select countries
^"However, as of today, no fully reliable statistics exists. According to the non-official information provided by the Diaspora Committee of Azerbaijan, about 4,500,000 Azerbaijanis live in Turkey. It is not clear however what criteria have been used for the calculation, and how many generations of Azerbaijanis as well as which population categories are included in the statistics. Even OECD data are not always reliable."[83]
^"Итоги переписи".2010 census. Russian Federation State Statistics Service. 2012. Archived fromthe original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved24 January 2015.
^"Population Census 2009"(PDF). National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 18 January 2012. Retrieved17 April 2013.
^Azerbaijan country briefArchived 18 June 2019 at theWayback Machine. NB According to the 2016 census, 1,036 people living in Australia identified themselves as of Azeri ancestry. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^Cite error: The named referencegolden was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
^Ismail Zardabli.Ethnic and political history of Azerbaijan. Rossendale Books. 2018. p.35 "... the ancestors of Azerbaijanis and Turkmens are the tribes that lived in these territories."
^Hovannisian, Richard G. (1996).The Republic of Armenia. 4: Between crescent and sickle: partition and sovietization. Berkeley, Calif: Univ. of Calif. Pr. p. 247.ISBN978-0-520-08804-7.
^Saparov, Arseny (1 January 2003)."The alteration of place names and construction of national identity in Soviet Armenia".Cahiers du monde russe. Russie - Empire russe - Union soviétique et États indépendants (in French).44 (1):179–198.doi:10.4000/monderusse.8604.ISSN1252-6576.On March 10, 1948, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a resolution entitled : "Planned measures for the resettlement of collective farm workers and other Azerbaijanis from the Armenian SSR to the Kura-Arax lowlands." According to this plan some 100,000 people had to be "voluntarily" resettled.
^Dragadze, Tamara. (1990). "The Nationalities Question in the Post-Soviet States.". In Smith G (ed.).Azerbaijanis. Longman Publishing Group. pp. 166–167.ISBN978-0-582-03955-1.Under Stalin, too, deportations of whole populations took place. Thus, in 1948, around 100,000 Azerbaijanis were deported from Armenia. In a recent polemic, Gorbachev reminded the Armenians that before the Revolution, Azerbaijanis had formed 43 per cent of the population of Erevan.
^"Итоги переписи".2002 census. Russian Federation State Statistics Service. 2004. Archived fromthe original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved17 January 2012.
^"Archived copy"(PDF).enpi-info.eu. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 10 June 2021. Retrieved30 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"Population Census 2009"(PDF). National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 18 January 2012. Retrieved17 April 2013.
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