Armenia Demographics

What is the population of Armenia?

Population	3,051,250
Population Growth Rate	0.14%
Urban Population	64.1%
Population in Major Urban Areas	YEREVAN (capital) 1.116 million
Nationality Noun	Armenian(s)
Nationality Adjective	Armenian
Ethnic Groups	Armenian 93%, Azeri 1%, Russian 2%, other (mostly Yezidi Kurds) 4% (2002)
Languages Spoken	Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%

What is school like in Armenia?

Classroom

There are many schools near each other and the ages of those schools are different. There are old buildings and also very new ones built in the post-war period and the number of children studying there also differs. There are about 160 – 300 children at a school.

A typical Armenian school classroom usually has desks for children, a desk for the teacher, a blackboard, domestic flowers on the windowsills, and wallpapers concerning the subjects taught in the classroom. Some classrooms also have bookshelves for different books. Many schools have different classrooms for different subjects and those classrooms are equipped with corresponding equipment. But this does not apply to every school. Many schools do not have audiovisual equipment.

There is a computer room nearly in every school and, perhaps, this is the best and the most interesting classroom for the children.

Education Culture

Education plays a central role in the lives of most children and their families. Since the school program has become difficult to study during these last years parents spend a lot of time with their children to make them learn their lessons. The school program is so complicated that parents hire individual tutors for their children for each subject. The average child’s day is overloaded as he/she comes home from school and after having his/her lunch many go to a tutor.

Learning

A typical day at school starts with the bell ringing. Then the teacher enters the class and all the children greet him/her with bari aravot (good morning). Children who study in the primary grades usually have four lessons. Every lesson is 45 minutes long, and between each lesson there is 5 minutes break. After the second lesson, the break is a bit longer - 10 minutes long. Usually, pupils bring something to eat during the breaks. This can be apples, biscuits or sweets. There is also a buffet in every school where the pupils and teachers can buy sandwiches, patty, doughnuts, khachapuri (Georgian cuisine dish made from cheese and pastry in layers), zhengyalov hats (Armenian cuisine dish made from pastry and herbs (literal translation is bread with greens)), drink tea or coffee.

Secondary education in Armenia is compulsory. The duration of secondary school in Armenia is 11 years (two years ago it was 10 years) and it has three levels. The first level is the primary school ( 1-4 grades) where children study from the age of 6 till 9.

The second level is the Intermediate School (5-9 grades) where pupils study from the age of 10 till 15. Here children get general education. It is also called incomplete secondary education and after finishing it pupils obtain a Certificate of Basic Education. Having graduated from the intermediate school they can go either to High School to continue their education or to specialized secondary and technical secondary educational institutions.

The third level is high or senior school (10-11 grades) and pupils study there from the age of 16 to 17. After graduating from high school pupils obtain a Certificate of Full Secondary Education.

More than 75 percent of pupils move to high schools. Only pupils who have unsatisfactory grades or satisfactory grades and who are going to become musicians move to specialized secondary or technical secondary educational institutions.

The grading system at schools has changed recently in Armenia. Before it had 5 grades like all the former Soviet countries. The mark “2” was equal to “unsatisfactory”, “3” was “satisfactory”, “4” -“good” and “5” was equal to “excellent”. Now there are 10 grades, from which 1,2, 3 are considered to be “unsatisfactory” marks; 4,5,6 are “satisfactory”; 7,8 are good; 9,10 are “excellent” marks.

In Armenia, primary and intermediate schools are usually in the same building. High school can also be in the same building but this is not the case in all school buildings.

The subjects taught in primary schools are mother language, fine arts, technology, mathematics, music, and physical culture, which children study from the first grade and the Russian and English languages from the second grade. In some schools in Armenia, the French or German language is taught instead of English. The primary language for the children who attend school is Armenian. They can speak Russian with their family members sometimes but they don’t speak English at home. Maybe this is because Armenia is a former Soviet country and also because children watch a lot of films and animated cartoons in Russian on TV.

The number of students per teacher differs as it depends on the number of children in the grade. It can vary from 15 to 30.

The headmaster of the school has all the authority of the school, all the teachers and children are under his/her supervision while the teachers are responsible for their classes only.

Children don’t wear uniforms at school, everybody is free to wear whatever he/she wants.

Children usually don’t have their lunch at school if they don’t have extracurricular activities. They just come home after school and have their lunch at home. In case they have extracurricular activities they buy whatever there is in the buffet and have their lunch there after school.

To School

Children usually go to school near their house. Depending on the distance some go there on foot others by public minibusses since there is no transportation provided by the school system or state. If the child is in elementary school i.e. too little to go to school alone, usually one of his parents, or relatives takes him to school and then meets him to take him back home when the classes are over.

In villages, children don’t take transportation to school as there are no public or state transportations inside any village in Armenia. So for village children, the only choice to get to school is on foot.

What are the health conditions in Armenia?

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49	54.9%
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	8.51
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved	100%
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved	0.2%
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved	99.7%
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP	4.3%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate	0.1%
HIV/Aids Deaths	200
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population	4
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births	12.83
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births	21.9
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births	17.59
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births	30
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth	24.1
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	24%
People Living with HIV/AIDS	1,900
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population	2.85
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved	9.5%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved	95.9%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved	80.9%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman	1.39
Underweight - percent of children under five years	5.3%

How long do people live in Armenia?

Life Expectancy at Birth	73 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - female	77 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - male	70 Years
Median Age	32 Years
Median Age - female	35 Years
Median Age - male	30 Years

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population	13
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	8.51
Median Age	32 Years
Median Age - female	35 Years
Median Age - male	30 Years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population	-2.93
Population Growth Rate	0.14%
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female	1.15
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female	1.03
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female	.92
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female	.93
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female	1.14
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female	.89
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female	.59

What are the health conditions in Armenia?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

Though there are many competent physicians in Armenia, medical care facilities are limited, especially outside the major cities. The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of English-speaking physicians in the area. Most prescription medications are available, but the quality varies. Elderly travelers and those with existing health problems may be at risk due to inadequate medical facilities.

What is school like in Armenia?

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP	3.3%
Literacy - female	98%
Literacy - male	99.4%
Literacy - total population	99.4%
Literacy Definition	Age 15 and over can read and write
School Life Expectancy - female	14 Years
School Life Expectancy - male	11 Years
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)	12 Years

Can people in Armenia read?

Literacy - female	98%
Literacy - male	99.4%
Literacy - total population	99.4%
Literacy Definition	Age 15 and over can read and write
Predominant Language	Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%

Is Armenia a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

Crime against foreigners is relatively rare in Armenia. Break-ins-- particularly of vehicles-- and theft are the most common crimes, but there have been instances of violent crime. While the incidence of violent crime remains lower than in most U.S. cities, you should exercise caution. Several U.S. investors have also reported being involved in disputes over property ownership, and have had to seek legal recourse through long, and often unsuccessful, court proceedings.<br />





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Do not buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal to bring back into the United States, but if you purchase them you may also be breaking local law.

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Armenia, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own, and criminal penalties vary from country to country. There are some things that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States; for instance, you can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Armenia, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It is very important to know what is legal and what is not where you are traveling.

Armenia strictly enforces its laws relating to the possession, trafficking, and use of illegal drugs, including marijuana. Further, Armenia prohibits the receipt of packages that contain illegal drugs, including small amounts of marijuana. Persons arrested for violating Armenia’s drug laws may be detained for lengthy periods of time while the investigations proceed, and if convicted, face significant prison sentences.

Authorities of Armenia are required to notify the U.S. Embassy of your arrest. If you are concerned the Department of State may not be aware of your situation, you should request that police or prison officials notify the U.S. Embassy.