Azerbaijan

In 2024, Azerbaijan was the fifth-ranked producer of iodine (excluding the United States) having accounted for 0.6% of world output. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included aluminum, bentonite, cement, copper, gold, gypsum, lime, limestone, nitrogen, salt, sand, silver, and steel. Data on mineral production are in Production table (formerly table 1). Azerbaijan’s importance as a world mineral producer, however, was based on its crude petroleum industry and, more recently, its natural gas industry. The value added of mining and other extractive production contributed 29.4% to the country’s GDP. In 2024, Azerbaijan exported 197 t of iodine valued at \$11.1 million, which was a decrease of 14.7% and 28.2%, respectively, compared with exports in 2023 (Abc.az, 2025; State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2025, p. 34; Schnebele, 2026).  

The primary law regulating exploration, rational use, and environmental protection of subsoil resources is the Law on Subsoil of 1998, which was most recently amended in February 2024. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources was responsible for carrying out geological exploration, search, evaluation, and monitoring works. Many mineral industry facilities were privately owned, but several large companies, most notably the Ganja aluminum refinery and ZAO AzerGold, were owned by the Government. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. More-extensive coverage of government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports — International — Europe and Central Eurasia, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/europ… (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2022; CIS-legislation.com, 2025; Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, The, 2025). 

Commodity Review 

Iodine.—In 2024, Azerbaijan produced 208 t of iodine, which was unchanged compared with production in 2023. The sole producer of iodine in Azerbaijan was Iodico LLC, which was a subsidiary of R Group Holding. The company produced iodine from brine and operated 80 wells. The plant was located in Neftchala Region and reportedly had 170,000 t of iodine resources (Facilities table; Production table; Abc.az, 2025; R Group Holding, 2025). 

Production table

References Cited 

• Abc.az, Azerbaidzhan snizil prodazhi yoda za rubezh na 14,7% [Azerbaijan reduced sales of iodine abroad by 14.7%]: Baku, Azerbaijan, abc.az, February 24. (Accessed December 1, 2025, at https://www.abc.az/ru/news/168759/azerbaidzan-snizil-prodazi-ioda-za-ru….) [In Russian.] 

• CIS-legislation.com, 2025, Law of the Azerbaijan Republic of February 13, 1998, No. 439-IQ About Subsoil: CIS-legislation.com. (Accessed December 9, 2025, at https://cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=2709.) 

• Food and Agriculture Organization, 2022, Law No. 439-IQ on Subsoil: Rome, Italy, Food and Agriculture Organization, 28 p. (Accessed January 28, 2026, at https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC047718.) [In Azerbaijani.] 

• Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, The, 2025, Laws: Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (Accessed, December 1, 2025, at https://eco.gov.az/az/qanunvericilik/qanunlar.) [In Azerbaijani.] 

• R Group Holding, 2025, Iodico LLC: Baku, Azerbaijan, R Group Holding. (Accessed December 1, 2025, at https://r-group-holding.com/business-units/iodico-llc/.) 

• Schnebele, E.K., 2026, Iodine: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 100–101. 

• State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2025, National accounts of Azerbaijan: Baku, Azerbaijan, State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 129 p. (Accessed November 30, 2025, at https://www.stat.gov.az/menu/6/statistical_yearbooks/source/system_nat_….)