Petrol misfortune of Azerbaijanis

The Azerbaijani press publishes articles leading the reader to believe that petrol is cheap in our country. Usually a wave of such publications precedes the next rise in the price of fuel.  Readers are told the ‘average cost of petrol’ in another country, consisting of the prices of petrol of all popular brands, and compare the average figure with the cost of cheap Azerbaijani AI-92 petrol. Some years it is sold at the price of 1 manat per litre, and the next best quality petrol of AI-96 brand in Azerbaijan is twice as expensive - 2 manats per litre, although the quality and energy content of fuel of this brand is not twice as good. The most common way to create an illusion of prosperity in the fuel market in our country is to ignore the criterion of purchasing power of Azerbaijanis correlated with the average salary in the country. In this article Turan will compare the ability of citizens of several countries, including Azerbaijan, to buy AI-92 (Regular) petrol on one average salary.

In Azerbaijan, the average monthly nominal salary on 1 February 2024 was 942.4 manats (554.3 USD). This amount can be used to buy 942 litres of AI-92 petrol.

In Georgia, the average salary is 2044 GEL, or 761 USD. This amount can be used to buy 760 litres of ‘92’ petrol (GEL 2.65, or about USD 1.02 per litre).

The average nominal wage in Kazakhstan in the first quarter of 2024 was 382,279 tenge, or $870. This amount can be used to buy 1,911 litres of 92 grade petrol, sold in the country for about 200 tenge per litre.

In Russia, cheap petrol sells for 55 rubles. And the average salary in the Russian Federation is 78.000 rubles, which can be used to buy 1,418 litres of AI-92 petrol.

According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Statistics, the average salary in the U.S. at the beginning of 2024 was equal to $ 28.26 per hour - that is, 4521.6 dollars per month.  Regular petrol in 2024 sells for 90 cents to $1, with prices varying from state to state. So, if you count at $1 per litre, an American can buy 4,522 litres of cheap petrol.

The average monthly income of German citizens is 5552 euros, and the price of petrol is 1.8 euros. So, a German is able to buy 3082 litres of petrol on one average salary.

According to the petrol/salary ratio, Azerbaijanis live better than Georgians, but significantly lag behind other citizens of the above countries.