Factbook dossier
Background
Armenia prides itself on being the first state to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Armenia has existed as a political entity for centuries, but for much of its history it was under the sway of various empires, including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, Ottoman, and Russian. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire instituted a policy of forced resettlement that, coupled with other harsh practices targeting its Armenian subjects, resulted in at least 1 million deaths; these actions have been widely recognized as constituting genocide. During the early 19 th century, significant Armenian populations fell under Russian rule. Armenia declared its independence in 1918 in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, but it was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenia, along with Azerbaijan and Georgia, was initially incorporated into the USSR as part of the Transcaucasian Federated Soviet Socialist Republic; in 1936, the republic was separated into its three constituent entities, which were maintained until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. For over three decades, Armenia had a longstanding conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan about the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which historically had a mixed Armenian and Azerbaijani population, although ethnic Armenians have constituted the majority since the late 19 th century. In 1921, Moscow placed Nagorno-Karabakh within Soviet Azerbaijan as an autonomous oblast. In the late Soviet period, a separatist movement developed that sought to end Azerbaijani control over the region. Fighting ove…
Location
Southwestern Asia, between Turkey (to the west) and Azerbaijan; note - Armenia views itself as part of Europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both
Area
total : 29,743 sq km land: 28,203 sq km water: 1,540 sq km
Natural resources
small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite
Natural hazards
occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
Population
total: 2,963,837 (2025 est.) male: 1,451,842 female: 1,511,995
Ethnic groups
Armenian 98.1%, Yezidi 1.1%; less than 1%: Russian, other, Assyrian, Kurd, Ukrainian, Greek (2022 est.)
Languages
Armenian 97.2%, Russian 1.4%, Ezidian 1.0%; less than 1%: other, unknown (2022) major-language sample(s): Աշխարհի Փաստագիրք, Անփոխարինելի Աղբյւր Հիմնական Տեղեկատվւթյան. (Armenian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Armenian Apostolic 95.2%, not stated 1.7%; less than 1%: Catholic, no religion, Evangelical, Shar-fadinian, other, Armenian Orthodox, Jehovah's Witness, Pagan, Molokan (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
soil pollution from toxic chemicals; deforestation; river pollution; threats to drinking water supplies from use of hydropower; nuclear power plant located in earthquake zone
Government type
parliamentary democracy; note - constitutional changes adopted in December 2015 transformed the government to a parliamentary system
Capital
name: Yerevan geographic coordinates: 40 10 N, 44 30 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: name origin is unclear; it may derive from the name of a local ethnic group, or from the ancient fortress of Erebuni that was built on the current site of Yerevan in 782 B.C.
Executive branch
chief of state: President Vahagn KHACHATURYAN (since 13 March 2022) head of government: Prime Minister Nikol PASHINYAN (since 10 September 2021) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly in 3 rounds, if needed, for a single 7-year term; prime minister indirectly elected by majority vote in two rounds, if needed, by the National Assembly most recent election date: 3 March 2022 election results: 2022: Vahagn KHACHATURYAN elected president in second round; note - Vahagn KHACHATURYAN (independent) ran unopposed and won the Assembly vote 71-0 2018: Armen SARKISSIAN elected president in first round; note - Armen SARKISSIAN (indpendent) ran unopposed and won the Assembly vote 90-10 expected date of next election: 2029
Legislative branch
legislature name: National Assembly (Azgayin Zhoghov) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 107 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 6/20/2021 parties elected and seats per party: Civil Contract Party (71); Armenia Alliance (29); I Have the Honour Alliance (7) percentage of women in chamber: 38.3% expected date of next election: June 2026 note 1: additional seats allocated as necessary; the numbers usually change with each parliamentary convocation note 2: four mandates are reserved for national minorities; no more than 70% of the top membership of a party list can belong to the same sex; political parties must meet a 5% threshold and alliances a 7% threshold to win seats; at least three parties must be seated in the Parliament
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$60.909 billion (2024 est.) $57.516 billion (2023 est.) $53.108 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$20,100 (2024 est.) $19,400 (2023 est.) $17,900 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.3% (2024 est.) 2% (2023 est.) 8.6% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
Russia 37%, UAE 25%, Hong Kong 7%, China 5%, Georgia 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
Russia 29%, China 12%, Vietnam 6%, Georgia 5%, Iran 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Armenian Republic Armed Forces: Armenian Army (includes land, air, air defense forces) (2025) note: the Police of the Republic of Armenia is responsible for internal security, while the National Security Service is responsible for national security, intelligence activities, and border control
Military expenditures
5.5% of GDP (2024 est.) 5.5% of GDP (2023 est.) 4.3% of GDP (2022 est.) 4.4% of GDP (2021 est.) 5% of GDP (2020 est.)