Caspian Sea: State of the Environment 2019

cent, 1.01 per cent and 1.33 per cent since 2011 (Iran, Statistical Centre of Iran 2016). On the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, the general population trends can also be seen, with the ur- ban population increasing by 1.97 per cent in the last five years, and decreasing by up to 0.73 per cent in the same period (Iran, Statistical Centre of Iran 2016). The share of the north-eastern coast located in Kazakhstan comprises the Mangystau and Atyrau Regions. In Mangystau, the population increased by 27 per cent from 2009 to 2018, while in Atyrau, the population growth for the same period was 16 per cent. In recent years, the Caspian region of Kazakh- stan has seen a significant population increase, exceeding the general population growth rate throughout the country (Kazakhstan, Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakh- stan Statistics Committee 2009–2018). As of 1 January 2018, the Atyrau and Mangystau Regions accounted for 3.4 and 3.6 per cent of the total population of Kazakhstan, numbering 18.157 million people (Kazakhstan, Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Statistics Committee 2009–2018). In the Caspian region of the Russian Federation (AstrakhanOblast, Republic of Dagestan, Repub- lic of Kalmykia), the total population as of 1 Jan- uary 2017 was 4,339,000 people, or 2.96 per cent of the country’s total population. At this time, 23.5 per cent of the total population, or 1,019,000 people lived in Astrakhan Oblast, 6.4 per cent or 278,000 people in the Republic of Kalmykia and 70.1 per cent or 3,042,000 people in the Repub- lic of Dagestan. Furthermore, the population of eight urban settlements and 12 rural coastal areas accounted for 1,712,000 people, of which 65 per cent lived in cities. The population of coastal mu- nicipalities in Astrakhan Oblast was 1,734,000 people, which was 17 per cent of the Astrakhan’s population or 6.4 per cent of the total population of the Russian Federation’s Caspian region. The permanent population of the coastal municipali- ties of the Republic of Kalmykia is 18,500 people (6.6 per cent of the population of the Republic of Kalmykia or 0.4 per cent of the population of

the Caspian region). The resident population of the coastal municipal formations of the Republic of Dagestan was 1,520,000 people (50 per cent of the population of the Republic of Dagestan or 35 per cent of the population of the Caspian region) (Russian Federation, Federal State Statistics Ser- vice 2017a). From 2010 to 2017, the population growth in the Russian Federation’s Caspian region was 3 per cent, though it was uneven across the regions. The population increased by 4.5 per cent in the Republic of Dagestan, 0.8 per cent in Astrakhan Oblast and 0.9 per cent in the Republic of Kalmy- kia (Russian Federation, Federal State Statistics Service 2017a). The Balkan Region in Turkmenistan makes up the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea and is the country’s largest region, accounting for 28.4 per cent of its total landmass, though it has a relative- ly small population for its size, comprising only 8.5 per cent of the total population, 82.3 per cent of which is urban (Turkmenstat 2012). Despite its scarce population, the region has a well-de- veloped infrastructure thanks to the implemen- tation of a large-scale economic project – the National Tourist Zone (NTZ) in Avaza (Turk- menistan Golden Age 2013). Since 2011, the Caspian littoral states have all had to mitigate the effects of global economic fluctu- ations in the price of hydrocarbons and raw ma- terials, as each relies to some extent on exporting natural resources. All acknowledge the need to fo- cus on diversifying their exports and economies. Azerbaijan has made a conscious effort to di- versify its economic portfolio to reduce the neg- ative effects of a global decline in hydrocarbon resources. Before 2010, oil continued to be the main driver behind economic growth in Azerbai- jan, but between 2010 and 2014 non-oil sectors were the major contributors. According to the State Statistical Committee, in 2014 the non-oil sector grew by 7 per cent, the construction sector by 8.8 per cent and the service sector by 7.6 per cent. An analysis of the share of these sectors in GDP shows that natural resources contributed 3.1.2. Economy

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