Judges vs ordinary pensioners in Azerbaijan: what the law and figures show
Judges and pensions in Azerbaijan
The pension of Azerbaijani judge Jahangir Yusifov was increased from 4,700 manat (around $2,765) to 7,500 manat (around $4,412) after he took the matter to court. Thanks to special pension rules, judges’ pensions can be dozens of times higher than the country’s average pension.
For comparison: the minimum labour pension in Azerbaijan is 320 manat (around $188).
When Baku Court of Appeal judge Jahangir Yusifov retired in 2025 at the age of 65, the State Social Protection Fund awarded him a monthly pension of 4,700 manat. That amount was equivalent to around 58% of his average monthly salary while serving as a judge.
Yusifov demanded that his pension be increased to 8,200 manat (around $4,824), arguing that he had worked all his life under difficult conditions, possessed special professional qualifications, and had been subject to a high level of responsibility.
The Baku Administrative Court upheld most of his claim, increasing his pension to around 7,500 manat. His request for additional financial assistance equal to 10% of his pension was rejected.
This is not the first such case. Other retired judges have filed similar claims, including Azad Majidov, Anvar Seyidov, Ulvi Mayilov and others. The courts have upheld all of the claims filed.
These cases clearly demonstrate how the special social protection mechanism provided for judges under Azerbaijani law is applied in practice.
Judges’ pension provisions
Under Article 109 of the Law “On Courts and Judges,” judges’ pensions are calculated according to special rules and depend on their length of service as a judge.
- For those who have served as a judge for at least five years, the pension may be set at 45% of their average salary.
- For between 5 and 10 years of service, an additional 2% is added to the 45% for each additional year.
- For between 10 and 15 years of service, the pension is set at 55% of the average salary, plus 5% for each additional year, but cannot exceed 80% of the average salary.
- Pension calculations also take into account pension capital and other allowances предусмотренные by law.
These higher percentage rates and additional benefits based on length of service provide judges with special pension conditions compared with other groups of the population.
Is it possible to live on a pension?
A judge’s pension of 7,500 manat (around $4,412) is 23 times higher than the minimum pension and 12–13 times higher than the average pension.
For comparison, the official subsistence minimum for a pensioner, regardless of profession, is 245 manat (around $145).
The average pension is significantly higher than this threshold. Nevertheless, it can be difficult for a single pensioner to maintain a stable standard of living solely on an average pension. Older people often need additional sources of income, such as employment, family support or targeted social assistance.
According to official statistics, as of April 1, 2026, more than 105,000 old-age pension recipients were still working.
But state officials, prosecutors and judges are provided with a fundamentally different level of social protection. Many people in Azerbaijan view this approach as a “double standard” enshrined in law. And when it comes to lawsuits filed by judges seeking higher pensions, public discussions often include comments along the lines of: “Apparently, even that wasn’t enough for the judges.”
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