Armenians in Baku
Armenians once formed a sizable community in Baku, the current capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Though the date of their original settlement is unclear, Baku's Armenian population swelled during the 19th century, when it became a major center for oil production and offered other economic opportunities to enterprising investors and businessmen.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 104 (2009)-700 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Baku | |
| Languages | |
| Armenian | |
| Religion | |
| Armenian Apostolic Church | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Armenians in Azerbaijan |
| Year | Total | Armenians % | ||
| 1851 | 7,431 | 405 | 5.5% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | 86,611 | 24,490 | 28.3% | |
| 1897 | 111,904 | 19,099 | 17.1% | |
| 1926 | 347,390 | 69,544 | 20% | |
| 1939 | 808,690 | 118,703 | 14.7% | |
| 1959 | 987,228 | 170,074 | 17.2% | |
| 1970 | 1,265,515 | 207,464 | 16.4% | |
| 1979 | 1,533,235 | 215,807 | 14.1% | |
| 1989 | 1,794,874 | 179,950 | 10.0% | |
| 1999 | 1,788,854 | 378 | 0% | |
| 2009 | 2,045,815 | 104 | 0,005 | |
| 1939-1989 figures include data from the city of Baku proper and the Baku municipality (gorsovet). |
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Their numbers remained strong into the 20th century, despite the turbulence of the Russian Revolutions of 1917, but almost all the Armenians fled the city between 1988 and January 1990. By the beginning of January 1990, only 50,000 Armenians remained in Baku compared to a quarter million in 1988; most of these left after being targeted in a pogrom that occurred before the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the early stages of the first Nagorno-Karabakh War.