Tajikistan
Republic of TajikistanJumhurii Tojikiston
presidential republicIndependence 9 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Tajikistan as the 2020 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 161 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The Tajik people came under Russian imperial rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. At that time, bands of indigenous guerrillas (called "basmachi") fiercely contested Bolshevik control of the area, which was not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan was first created as an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan in 1924, but in 1929 the USSR designated Tajikistan a separate republic and transferred to it much of present-day Sughd province.
Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Tajikistan, and ethnic Tajiks an even larger minority in Uzbekistan. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and experienced a civil war between political, regional, and religious factions from 1992 to 1997. Though the country holds general elections for both the presidency (once every seven years) and parliament (once every five years), observers note an electoral system rife with irregularities and abuse, with results that are neither free nor fair.
President Emomali RAHMON, who came to power in 1994 during the civil war, used an attack planned by a disaffected deputy defense minister in 2015 to ban the last major opposition political party in Tajikistan. In December 2015, RAHMON further strengthened his position by having himself declared "Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation," with limitless terms and lifelong immunity through constitutional amendments ratified in a referendum.
The referendum also lowered the minimum age required to run for president from 35 to 30, which would make RAHMON's son Rustam EMOMALI, the current mayor of the capital city of Dushanbe, eligible to run for president in 2020.
The country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Tajikistan became a member of the WTO in March 2013. However, its economy continues to face major challenges, including dependence on remittances from Tajikistani migrant laborers working in Russia and Kazakhstan, pervasive corruption, and the opiate trade and other destabilizing violence emanating from neighboring Afghanistan. Tajikistan has endured several domestic security incidents since 2010, including armed conflict between government forces and local strongmen in the Rasht Valley and between government forces and criminal groups in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast. Tajikistan suffered its first ISIS-claimed attack in 2018, when assailants attacked a group of Western bicyclists with vehicles and knives, killing four.
Geography
Central Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan
19 fieldsLand useshare of 144,100 sq km
Terrain
- mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast;
- western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Natural resources
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Population distribution
- the country's population is concentrated at lower elevations, with perhaps as much as 90% of the people living in valleys;
- overall density increases from east to west
Environment - current issues
- areas of high air pollution from motor vehicles and industry;
- water pollution from agricultural runoff and disposal of untreated industrial waste and sewage;
- poor management of water resources;
- soil erosion;
- increasing levels of soil salinity
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
landlocked; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR
People and Society
36 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2020 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2020 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2014 est.)
Languages
Tajik (official) 84.4%, Uzbek 11.9%, Kyrgyz .8%, Russian .5%, other 2.4% (2010 est.) note: Russian widely used in government and business
Population distribution
- the country's population is concentrated at lower elevations, with perhaps as much as 90% of the people living in valleys;
- overall density increases from east to west
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.85 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.7 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- high (2020)
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne diseases:
- malaria
Government
Presidential republic; President Emomali RAHMON (since 6 November 1994; Prime Minister Qohir RASULZODA (since 23 November 2013)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Assembly of Representatives, 63 seatsone dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Composition: men 50, women 13, percent of women 20.6%
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Tajikistan
- conventional short form:
- Tajikistan
- local long form:
- Jumhurii Tojikiston
- local short form:
- Tojikiston
- former:
- Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
- etymology:
- the Persian suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so the word Tajikistan literally means "Land of the Tajik [people]"
Capital
- name:
- Dushanbe
- geographic coordinates:
- 38 33 N, 68 46 E
- time difference:
- UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- etymology:
- today's city was originally at the crossroads where a large bazaar occurred on Mondays, hence the name Dushanbe, which in Persian means Monday, i.e., the second day (du) after Saturday (shambe)
Administrative divisions
- 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor), 1 capital region** (viloyati poytakht), and 1 area referred to as Districts Under Republic Administration***;
- Dushanbe**, Khatlon (Bokhtar), Kuhistoni Badakhshon [Gorno-Badakhshan]* (Khorugh), Nohiyahoi Tobei Jumhuri***, Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
Constitution
- history:
- several previous; latest adopted 6 November 1994
- amendments:
- proposed by the president of the republic or by at least one third of the total membership of both houses of the Supreme Assembly;
- adoption of any amendment requires a referendum, which includes approval of the president or approval by at least two-thirds majority of the Assembly of Representatives;
- passage in a referendum requires participation of an absolute majority of eligible voters and an absolute majority of votes;
- constitutional articles, including Tajikistan’s form of government, its territory, and its democratic nature, cannot be amended;
- amended several times, last in 2016
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth:
- no
- citizenship by descent only:
- at least one parent must be a citizen of Tajikistan
- dual citizenship recognized:
- no
- residency requirement for naturalization:
- 5 years or 3 years of continuous residence prior to application
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Emomali RAHMON (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Qohir RASULZODA (since 23 November 2013)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly
- elections/appointments:
- president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term for a maximum of two terms;
- however, as the "Leader of the Nation" President RAHMON can run an unlimited number of times;
- election last held on 11 October 2020 (next to be held in 2027);
- prime minister appointed by the president
- election results:
- Emomali RAHMON reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMON (PDPT) 92.1%, Rustam LATIFZODA (APT) 3.1%, Rustam RAHAMATZODA (PERT) 2.2%, Abduhalim GHAFFOROV (SPT) 1.5%, Miroj ABDULLOEV (CPT) 1.2%
Legislative branch
- description:
- bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of:; National Assembly or Majlisi Milli (34 seats; 25 members indirectly elected by local representative assemblies or majlisi, 8 appointed by the president, and 1 reserved for each living former president; members serve 5-year terms); Assembly of Representatives or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; 41 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by 2-round absolute majority vote and 22 directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
- elections:
- National Assembly - last held on 1 March 2020 (next to be held in 2025); Assembly of Representatives - last held on 1 March 2020 (next to be held in 2025)
- election results:
- ;
- National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - NA;
- composition - men 28, women 6, percent of women 17.6%
- Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 50.4%, PERT 16.6%, APT 16.5%, SPT 5.2%, DPT 5.1%, CPT 3.1%, other 3.1%;
- seats by party - PDPT 47, APT 7, PERT 5, CPT 2, SPT 1, DPT 1;
- composition - men 50, women 13, percent of women 20.6%;
- note - total Supreme Assembly percent of women 19.6%
Judicial branch
- highest courts:
- Supreme Court (consists of the chairman, deputy chairmen, and 34 judges organized into civil, family, criminal, administrative offense, and military chambers);
- Constitutional Court (consists of the court chairman, deputy chairman, and 5 judges);
- High Economic Court (consists of 16 judicial positions)
- judge selection and term of office:
- Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, and High Economic Court judges nominated by the president and approved by the National Assembly;
- judges of all 3 courts appointed for 10-year renewable terms with no term limits, but the last appointment must occur before the age of 65
- subordinate courts:
- regional and district courts;
- Dushanbe City Court;
- viloyat (province level) courts;
- Court of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region
Political parties and leaders
- Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Rustam LATIFZODA]
- Communist Party of Tajikistan or CPT [Miroj ABDULLOEV]
- Democratic Party of Tajikistan or DPT [Saidjafar USMONZODA]
- Party of Economic Reform of Tajikistan or PERT [Rustam OUDRATOV]
- People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMON]
- Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]
- Socialist Party of Tajikistan or SPT [Abduhalim GHAFFOROV]
International organization participation
ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Farhod SALIM (since 21 May 2014)
- chancery:
- 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 223-6090
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 223-6091
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador John Mark POMMERSHEIM (since 15 March 2019)
- telephone:
- [992] (37) 229-20-00, 992-37-229-2300 (consular direct line); EMER: 992-98-580-1032
- embassy:
- 109-A Ismoili Somoni Avenue, Dushanbe 734019
- mailing address:
- 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189
- FAX:
- [992] (37) 229-20-50
Flag description
- three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green;
- a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe;
- red represents the sun, victory, and the unity of the nation, white stands for purity, cotton, and mountain snows, while green is the color of Islam and the bounty of nature;
- the crown symbolizes the Tajik people;
- the seven stars signify the Tajik magic number "seven" - a symbol of perfection and the embodiment of happiness
National symbol(s)
- crown surmounted by an arc of seven, five-pointed stars;
- snow leopard;
- national colors: red, white, green
National anthem
- name:
- "Surudi milli" (National Anthem)
- lyrics/music:
- Gulnazar KELDI/Sulaimon YUDAKOV
note: adopted 1991; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan kept the music of the anthem from its time as a Soviet republic but adopted new lyrics
Economy
Tajikistan is a poor, mountainous country with an economy dominated by minerals extraction, metals processing, agriculture, and reliance on remittances from citizens working abroad.
34 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2017 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)
Budget(2017 est.)
Economic overview
Tajikistan is a poor, mountainous country with an economy dominated by minerals extraction, metals processing, agriculture, and reliance on remittances from citizens working abroad. Mineral resources include silver, gold, uranium, antimony, tungsten, and coal. Industry consists mainly of small obsolete factories in food processing and light industry, substantial hydropower facilities, and a large aluminum plant - currently operating well below its capacity.
The 1992-97 civil war severely damaged an already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Today, Tajikistan is the poorest among the former Soviet republics. Because less than 7% of the land area is arable and cotton is the predominant crop, Tajikistan imports approximately 70% of its food.
Since the end of the civil war, the country has pursued half-hearted reforms and privatizations in the economic sphere, but its poor business climate remains a hindrance to attracting foreign investment. Some experts estimate the value of narcotics transiting Tajikistan is equivalent to 30%-50% of GDP. Because of a lack of employment opportunities in Tajikistan, more than one million Tajik citizens work abroad - roughly 90% in Russia - supporting families back home through remittances that in 2017 were equivalent to nearly 35% of GDP. Tajikistan’s large remittances from migrant workers in Russia exposes it to monetary shocks.
Tajikistan often delays devaluation of its currency for fear of inflationary pressures on food and other consumables. Recent slowdowns in the Russian and Chinese economies, low commodity prices, and currency fluctuations have hampered economic growth. The dollar value of remittances from Russia to Tajikistan dropped by almost 65% in 2015, and the government spent almost $500 million in 2016 to bail out the country’s still troubled banking sector.
Tajikistan’s growing public debt – currently about 50% of GDP – could result in financial difficulties. Remittances from Russia increased in 2017, however, bolstering the economy somewhat. China owns about 50% of Tajikistan’s outstanding debt. Tajikistan has borrowed heavily to finance investment in the country’s vast hydropower potential.
In 2016, Tajikistan contracted with the Italian firm Salini Impregilo to build the Roghun dam over a 13-year period for $3.9 billion. A 2017 Eurobond has largely funded Roghun’s first phase, after which sales from Roghun’s output are expected to fund the rest of its construction. The government has not ruled out issuing another Eurobond to generate auxiliary funding for its second phase.
Unemployment rate
2.4% (2016 est.) · 2.5% (2015 est.) note: official rate; actual unemployment is much higher
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$1.292 billion (31 December 2017 est.) · $652.8 million (31 December 2016 est.)
Exchange rates
Tajikistani somoni (TJS) per US dollar - 8.764 (2017 est.) · 7.8358 (2016 est.) · 7.8358 (2015 est.) · 6.1631 (2014 est.) · 4.9348 (2013 est.)
Energy
24 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2020)
Installed generating capacity, 5.508 million kW(2016 est.)
Communications
7 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2017–19 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- general assessment:
- foreign investment in the telephone system has resulted in major improvements;
- an increase in mobile broadband penetration, but still in the early stages and remains low compared to those in the region;
- the country has endeavored to launch 4G/LTE services with mixed results;
- 7 major cities have 4G coverage;
- 5 major operators in the market (2020)
- domestic:
- fixed line availability has not changed significantly since 1998, while mobile cellular subscribership, aided by competition among multiple operators, has expanded rapidly;
- coverage now extends to all major cities and towns;
- fixed-line 5 per 100 and mobile-cellular 112 per 100 (2019)
- international:
- country code - 992;
- linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch;
- Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey);
- 3 satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat and 1 Orbita
note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide;
overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated
Broadcast media
- state-run TV broadcasters transmit nationally on 9 TV and 10 radio stations, and regionally on 4 stations;
- 31 independent TV and 20 radio stations broadcast locally and regionally;
- many households are able to receive Russian and other foreign stations via cable and satellite (2016)
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
National air transport system
- number of registered air carriers:
- 2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6
- annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:
- 492,320 (2018)
- annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:
- 2.34 million mt-km (2018)
Military and Security
6 fieldsPersonnel strengthsone square, 100 people · (2019 est.)
Military and security forces
- Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan:
- Land Forces, Mobile Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces;
- National Guard;
- Ministry of Internal Affairs: Internal Troops (reserves for Armed Forces in wartime);
- State Committee on National Security: Border Guard Forces (2019)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the Tajikistan Armed Forces' inventory is comprised of older Russian and Soviet-era equipment;
- it has received limited quantities of weapons systems since 2010, most of which was secondhand material from Russia, followed by Belarus and China (2019 est.)
Military service age and obligation
18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; 12-18 month conscript service obligation (2019)
Terrorism
1 fieldTerrorist group(s)
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) (2019) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
- in 2006, China and Tajikistan pledged to commence demarcation of the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002;
- talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields;
- disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan
Illicit drugs
- Tajikistan sits on one of the world's highest volume illicit drug trafficking routes, between Afghan opiate production to the south and the illicit drug markets of Russia and Eastern Europe to the north;
- limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption;
- significant consumer of opiates
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Tajikistan.” The World Factbook 2020. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/tajikistan/2020.