A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, most of the territory of present-day Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed by the Russian Empire in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist Empire in 1916 in which almost one-sixth of the Kyrgyz population was killed. Kyrgyzstan became a Soviet republic in 1926 and achieved independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide demonstrations in 2005 and 2010 resulted in the ouster of the country’s first two presidents, Askar AKAEV and Kurmanbek BAKIEV. Interim President Roza OTUNBAEVA led a transitional government and following a nation-wide election, President Almazbek ATAMBAEV was sworn in as president in 2011. In 2017, ATAMBAEV became the first Kyrgyzstani president to step down after serving one full six-year term as required at the time in the country’s constitution. Former prime minister and ruling Social-Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan member, Sooronbay JEENBEKOV, replaced him after winning the 2017 presidential election, which was the most competitive in the country’s history, although international and local election observers noted cases of vote buying and abuse of public resources. In October 2020, protests against parliamentary election results spread across Kyrgyzstan, leading to JEENBEKOV’s resignation from the presidency, and catapulting previously imprisoned Sadyr JAPAROV to acting president. In January 2021, Kyrgyzstanis formally elected JAPAROV as president and approved a referendum to move Kyrgyzstan from a parliamentary to a presidential system. In April 2021, Kyrgyzstanis voted in favor of draft constitutional changes that consolidated power in the presidency. Pro-government parties won a majority in the Jogorku Kenesh (Kyrgyzstan’s legislature) in November 2021 elections. Continuing concerns for Kyrgyzstan include the trajectory of democratization, endemic corruption, tense regional relations, vulnerabilities due to climate change, border security vulnerabilities, and potential terrorist threats.
land: 191,801 sq km
water: 8,150 sq km
border countries (4): China 1,063 km; Kazakhstan 1,212 km; Tajikistan 984 km; Uzbekistan 1,314 km
lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar’ya) 132 m
mean elevation: 2,988 m
arable land: 6.7% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 48.3% (2018 est.)
forest: 5.1% (2018 est.)
other: 39.5% (2018 est.)
6,122,781 (2023 est.)
noun: Kyrgyzstani(s)
adjective: Kyrgyzstani
Kyrgyz 73.8%, Uzbek 14.8%, Russian 5.1%, Dungan 1.1%, other 5.2% (includes Uyghur, Tajik, Turk, Kazakh, Tatar, Ukrainian, Korean, German) (2021 est.)
Kyrgyz (state language) 71.4%, Uzbek 14.4%, Russian (official language) 9%, other 5.2% (2009 est.)
major-language sample(s):
Дүйнөлүк фактылар китеби, негизги маалыматтын маанилүү булагы. (Kyrgyz)
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Muslim 90% (majority Sunni), Christian 7% (Russian Orthodox 3%), other 3% (includes Jewish, Buddhist, Baha’i) (2017 est.)
Kyrgyzstan is a sparsely populated country whose population is unevenly distributed. More than 50% of the population lives in or around the two cities of Bishkek and Osh and their surrounding districts, which together account for about 12% of the country’s area. Kyrgyzstan’s population continues to grow rapidly owing to its high fertility rate and the traditional preference for larger families, a low mortality rate, a growing share of women of reproductive age, and measures to support families with children. The country has a youthful age structure; over 45% of the population is under the age of 25 as of 2022. Nevertheless, Kyrgyzstan is transitioning from an agricultural society with high fertility and mortality rates to an industrial society with lower fertility and mortality rates.As part of the USSR, Kyrgyzstan’s rapid population growth was not problematic because its needs were redistributed among the Soviet States. As an independent state, however, population growth became burdensome. International labor migration continues to serve as a safety valve that decreases pressure on the labor market and resources (healthcare, education, and pensions), while also reducing poverty through much-needed remittances. The main destinations for labor migrants are Russia and Kazakhstan, where wages are higher; almost a third of Kyrgyzstan’s working-age population migrates to Russia alone. Outmigration was most pronounced in the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR, when ethnic Russians, Ukrainians, and Germans left Kyrgyzstan, changing the proportion of ethnic Kyrgyz in the country from barely 50% in 1992 to almost three-quarters today.While Kyrgyzstan is a net emigration country, it does receive immigrants. The majority of immigrants are from the Commonwealth of Independent States – particularly Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan – but more recent arrivals also include persons from China, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. Chinese immigrants work primarily in construction and gold mining, while Turkish immigrants mainly work in construction, trade, education, and services. Border areas between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan experience irregular migration, but many of these migrants plan to move on to Europe.
0-14 years: 29.54% (male 928,876/female 879,729)
15-64 years: 63.86% (male 1,914,277/female 1,995,500)
65 years and over: 6.6% (2023 est.) (male 154,684/female 249,715)
total dependency ratio: 63.5
youth dependency ratio: 56.4
elderly dependency ratio: 7.2
potential support ratio: 13.9 (2021 est.)
total: 28.1 years (2023 est.)
male: 26.7 years
female: 29.5 years
0.82% (2023 est.)
19.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-4.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
the vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas; densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west; the least densely populated area is the east, southeast in the Tien Shan mountains
urban population: 37.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.105 million BISHKEK (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
22.6 years (2019 est.)
50 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 25.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 29.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.7 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 72.6 years (2023 est.)
male: 68.6 years
female: 77 years
2.47 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1.2 (2023 est.)
39.4% (2018)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 89.9% of population
total: 93.6% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 10.1% of population
total: 6.4% of population (2020 est.)
5.3% of GDP (2020)
2.21 physicians/1,000 population (2014)
4.4 beds/1,000 population (2014)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
16.6% (2016)
total: 4.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 3.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 25.4% (2020 est.)
male: 48% (2020 est.)
female: 2.8% (2020 est.)
1.8% (2018)
66.2% (2023 est.)
women married by age 15: 0.3%
women married by age 18: 12.9% (2018 est.)
6.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.5% (2018)
total: 14 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2021)
water pollution; many people get their water directly from contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation practices; air pollution due to rapid increase of traffic
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan Mountains; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone
agricultural land: 55.4% (2018 est.)
arable land: 6.7% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 48.3% (2018 est.)
forest: 5.1% (2018 est.)
other: 39.5% (2018 est.)
urban population: 37.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)
0.21% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 37.58 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 9.79 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 4.47 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,113,300 tons (2015 est.)
salt water lake(s): Ozero Issyk-Kul 6,240 sq km
note - second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea; second highest mountain lake after Lake Titicaca; it is an endorheic mountain basin; although surrounded by snow capped mountains it never freezes
Syr Darya river source (shared with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan [m] ) - 3,078 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km), (Aral Sea basin) Amu Darya (534,739 sq km), Syr Darya (782,617 sq km)
municipal: 220 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 340 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 7.1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
23.62 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
landlocked, lower-middle-income Central Asian economy; natural resource rich; growing hydroelectricity and tourism; high remittances; corruption limits investment; COVID-19 and political turmoil hurt GDP, limited public revenues, and increased spending
$32.221 billion (2021 est.)
$31.098 billion (2020 est.)
$33.949 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
3.61% (2021 est.)
-8.4% (2020 est.)
4.6% (2019 est.)
$4,800 (2021 est.)
$4,700 (2020 est.)
$5,300 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$8.442 billion (2019 est.)
11.91% (2021 est.)
6.33% (2020 est.)
1.13% (2019 est.)
Moody’s rating: B2 (2015)
Standard & Poors rating: NR (2016)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 14.6% (2017 est.)
industry: 31.2% (2017 est.)
services: 54.2% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 85.4% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 18.9% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 33.2% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1.8% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 39.7% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -79% (2017 est.)
milk, potatoes, sugar beets, maize, wheat, barley, tomatoes, watermelons, onions, carrots/turnips
small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, lumber, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals
3.1% (2021 est.)
2.478 million (2021 est.)
9.1% (2021 est.)
8.71% (2020 est.)
6.92% (2019 est.)
total: 19.3% (2021 est.)
male: 15.6%
female: 27.3%
20.1% (2019 est.)
29 (2020 est.)
lowest 10%: 4.4%
highest 10%: 22.9% (2014 est.)
revenues: $2.878 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $2.89 billion (2019 est.)
-3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
72.23% of GDP (2020 est.)
54.23% of GDP (2019 est.)
51.66% of GDP (2018 est.)
14.92% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$743.363 million (2021 est.)
$374.257 million (2020 est.)
-$1.067 billion (2019 est.)
$3.35 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.435 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$3.108 billion (2019 est.)
United Kingdom 56%, Kazakhstan 13%, Russia 13%, Uzbekistan 5% (2019)
gold, float glass, precious metals, kidney beans, refined petroleum, scrap copper, dried fruits (2021)
$5.919 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$4.051 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.67 billion (2019 est.)
China 53%, Russia 17%, Kazakhstan 7%, Uzbekistan 7%, Turkey 5% (2019)
refined petroleum, footwear, clothing and apparel, broadcasting equipment, walnuts (2019)
$2.983 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$2.812 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$2.429 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$8.372 billion (2019 est.)
$8.066 billion (2018 est.)
soms (KGS) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
84.641 (2021 est.)
77.346 (2020 est.)
69.789 (2019 est.)
68.84 (2018 est.)
68.867 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 99.6% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 99.8% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 99.5% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 4.626 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 12,324,140,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 271 million kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 269 million kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 2.514 billion kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 8.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 91.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 2.287 million metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 1.717 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 984,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 481,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 971 million metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 700 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 32,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 1,400 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 8,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 40 million barrels (2021 est.)
6,996 bbl/day (2015 est.)
2,290 bbl/day (2015 est.)
34,280 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 25.542 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
consumption: 207.845 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 191.478 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 5.663 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
7.88 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 2.967 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 4.505 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 408,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
35.059 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 5 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 17
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 709,198 (2018)
EX
28 (2021)
18
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
10
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
4,195 km gas (2022), 16 km oil (2022) (2022)
total: 424 km (2022)
broad gauge: 424 km (2018) 1.520-m gauge
total: 34,000 km (2022)
576 km (2022)
lake port(s): Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach’ye)(Lake Ysyk-Kol)
manyapis