An in-depth analysis of the pharmacy sector in Azerbaijan based on data scraped from aptekonline.az - the country's leading online pharmacy platform.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Pharmacies | 276 |
| Pharmacy Chains | 6 |
| Cities/Regions Covered | 38 |
| Data Points per Pharmacy | 22 |
- Identity: id, name, description
- Location: region, address, latitude, longitude
- Contact: phone numbers (multiple formats)
- Services: 24h duty status, optical services
- Partnerships: insurance companies
- Media: images, gallery
Key Findings:
- ZƏFƏRAN dominates the market with 37.7% share (104 pharmacies)
- KANON follows closely with 35.5% (98 pharmacies)
- AZERİMED holds third position with 20.3% (56 pharmacies)
- Together, the top 3 chains control 93.5% of the market
- GÜNƏBAXAN is a smaller regional player with 5.4% share
Insight: The pharmacy market is highly consolidated with just 3 major chains controlling nearly all locations. This oligopolistic structure suggests high barriers to entry for new competitors.
Key Findings:
- Bakı (Baku) has the highest concentration with 154 pharmacies (55.8%)
- Gəncə (Ganja) ranks second with significantly fewer locations
- Regional cities have limited pharmacy coverage
- 38 unique cities/regions are served
Insight: There's a significant urban-rural gap in pharmacy accessibility. The capital hosts over half of all pharmacies, indicating potential underservice in regional areas.
Key Findings:
- Binəqədi, Xətai, and Sabunçu districts have the highest pharmacy density
- Nərimanov and Nizami districts are well-served
- Some districts like Yasamal have moderate coverage
- Peripheral districts show lower pharmacy presence
Insight: Within Baku, pharmacy distribution follows population density and commercial activity patterns. Central and residential districts have better coverage.
Key Findings:
- ZƏFƏRAN has the widest geographic reach, present in most cities
- KANON focuses heavily on Baku but has regional presence
- AZERİMED is predominantly Baku-centric
- GÜNƏBAXAN has limited presence outside the capital
Insight: ZƏFƏRAN's expansion strategy appears to prioritize geographic coverage, while competitors focus on urban density. This creates regional market monopolies in some areas.
Key Findings:
- Only 9 pharmacies (3.3%) operate 24 hours
- ZƏFƏRAN operates the most 24h locations
- KANON and AZERİMED have minimal 24h presence
- 24h service is predominantly available in Baku
Insight: The extremely low rate of 24-hour pharmacies (3.3%) represents a significant service gap. Emergency medication access outside regular hours remains a challenge for citizens, particularly in regional areas.
Key Findings:
- 50 pharmacies (18.1%) offer optical services
- KANON leads with the highest optika rate (~25%)
- ZƏFƏRAN and AZERİMED both offer optical services at ~15% rate
- GÜNƏBAXAN has the lowest optical service availability
Insight: Optical services represent a diversification strategy for pharmacies. The 18% market penetration suggests room for growth in this complementary service line.
Key Findings:
- 70 pharmacies (25.4%) have insurance partnerships
- Xalq sığorta (People's Insurance) is the most common partner
- Ata sığorta and Mega sığorta follow in popularity
- Average of 3-6 insurance partners per affiliated pharmacy
- 74% of pharmacies have no insurance partnerships
Insight: Insurance integration is still developing in the pharmacy sector. The low adoption rate (25%) suggests significant growth potential for both insurers and pharmacy chains seeking to attract insured customers.
Key Findings:
- ZƏFƏRAN leads in 24h duty availability
- KANON has the highest optical service rate and insurance partnerships
- GÜNƏBAXAN has the highest insurance partnership density (4+ avg partners)
- AZERİMED maintains moderate service levels across categories
Insight: Each chain has developed distinct service positioning. KANON appears to pursue a "premium services" strategy, while ZƏFƏRAN focuses on accessibility (24h, geographic reach).
Key Findings:
- Pharmacies cluster heavily around Baku and Absheron peninsula (40.3-40.5°N, 49.8-50.2°E)
- Gəncə (western Azerbaijan) forms a secondary cluster
- Lənkəran region in the south has sparse coverage
- Northern and western border regions have limited pharmacy presence
Insight: The geographic distribution reveals clear coverage gaps in rural and border regions. Citizens in these areas face longer travel distances for pharmacy access.
Key Findings:
- ZƏFƏRAN achieves 100% market share in several regional cities
- Bakı is the only truly competitive market with all chains present
- Gəncə has multi-chain competition
- Many regional markets are effective monopolies
Insight: Outside major cities, single-chain dominance is common. This reduces competitive pressure and may affect pricing and service quality in regional markets.
Key Findings:
- 55.8% of all pharmacies are in Baku
- 44.2% serve the rest of the country
- AZERİMED is most Baku-concentrated (75%+ of locations in capital)
- ZƏFƏRAN has the most balanced urban-regional split
Insight: The Baku-centric distribution reflects both population concentration and economic factors. However, with 60% of Azerbaijan's population living outside Baku, regional pharmacy access remains inadequate relative to population needs.
| Category | Value | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pharmacies | 276 | 100% |
| In Baku | 154 | 55.8% |
| 24-Hour Service | 9 | 3.3% |
| Optical Services | 50 | 18.1% |
| Insurance Partners | 70 | 25.4% |
| Chain | Count | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
| ZƏFƏRAN | 104 | 37.7% |
| KANON | 98 | 35.5% |
| AZERİMED | 56 | 20.3% |
| GÜNƏBAXAN | 15 | 5.4% |
| Other | 3 | 1.1% |
Based on the analysis, several opportunities emerge:
-
24-Hour Service Expansion: With only 3.3% of pharmacies offering round-the-clock service, significant unmet demand exists for emergency medication access.
-
Regional Expansion: The 55.8% Baku concentration leaves regional markets underserved. Chains expanding into secondary cities could capture growing markets with limited competition.
-
Insurance Integration: 74.6% of pharmacies lack insurance partnerships. Developing these relationships could attract health-insured customers and provide competitive differentiation.
-
Service Diversification: Optical services show only 18.1% penetration. Adding diagnostic services, health consultations, or wellness products could increase revenue per location.
-
Digital Integration: As this data comes from an online platform, further integration of e-commerce, delivery services, and mobile apps represents growth opportunities.
- Source: aptekonline.az/pharmacies
- Scraping Date: December 2025
- Method: Python web scraping (requests + BeautifulSoup)
- Data Points: 22 attributes per pharmacy including coordinates, services, and partnerships
| File | Description |
|---|---|
aptekonline.py |
Web scraper script |
analyze_pharmacies.py |
Data analysis and visualization script |
aptekonline.csv |
Raw scraped data (276 pharmacies) |
charts/ |
Generated visualization charts |
python aptekonline.pypython analyze_pharmacies.pyThis analysis is for educational and research purposes. Data sourced from publicly available information on aptekonline.az.