The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has increased its forecast for the average price of Azerbaijani gas for 2026 by more than 141 dollars.

Axar.az reports, citing APА, the Fund raised its forecast for the average price of Azerbaijan’s exported natural gas in 2026 from 380.4 US dollars to 521.9 US dollars per 1,000 cubic meters. This is 141.5 dollars, or 37.2%, higher compared to the previous forecast.

The IMF increased its forecast for 2027 from 326.5 dollars to 424.3 dollars. This means an increase of 97.8 dollars, or 30%. The forecast for 2028 was raised from 287.1 dollars to 312.1 dollars.

The Fund also projected the average export price of gas at 312.1 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters for 2029, 2030, and 2031. This figure is 25 dollars, or 8.7%, higher compared to the February forecast.

The IMF’s report notes that the gas price assumptions are based on the baseline scenario developed by the Fund within the framework of the World Economic Outlook (WEO) and an additional premium.

It was emphasized that the increase in oil and gas prices resulting from the war in the Middle East is having a positive impact on Azerbaijan’s external sector indicators and budget revenues. The upward revision of energy price forecasts in the Fund’s final report compared to February also shows that this factor was taken into account in the IMF’s price assumptions.