Birth rate in Azerbaijan has grown to 18.6 babies per 1,000 people in the past decade from 13,9,  the “highest in Europe”, Deputy Health Minister Elsevar Agayev said.Death rate is down to 5.9 from 6, Agayev said in an interview with the website of the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party.Natural population growth is 12.7 this year versus 7.9 a decade ago, he said.Child mortality rate is down to 10.8 from 16.7 while maternal mortality dropped to 14.5 from 18.5, he said.

Azerbaijan has a population of about 9.4 million, according to the State Statistics Committee.

ANN.Az