As of July 1, 2025, more than 1.416 million individuals in Azerbaijan have registered as sole proprietors without forming legal entities, according to the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy.
Data from the State Statistics Committee shows that three out of every four of these entrepreneurs are engaged in one of four key sectors: agriculture, forestry and fishing; trade and vehicle repair; transportation and warehousing; and other service activities.
Baku continues to lead in registrations, accounting for 26.2% of all sole proprietors, followed by the Lankaran-Astara (10.3%), Gazakh-Tovuz (7.9%), and Central Aran (7.2%) economic regions.
In terms of gender, 76.5% of sole proprietors are men, while women make up 23.5%. However, women show a strong presence in specific sectors. For example, they account for 37.3% of sole proprietors in other service activities, 26% in agriculture and related sectors, and 22% in trade and vehicle repair.
Among female entrepreneurs, 28.4% are registered in Baku, 10% in Lankaran-Astara, and 9.6% in Gazakh-Tovuz, with the remainder spread across other regions.
Some regions show a higher-than-average share of women-led businesses, including Gazakh-Tovuz (28.5%), Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (27.6%), Ganja-Dashkasan (26.1%), and Baku (25.4%).
The figures reflect a dynamic and expanding base of individual entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan, with increasing participation from women, particularly in service-oriented and rural economic sectors.
