Page last updated on January 31, 2014
The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Much of present-day Sughd province was transferred from the Uzbek SSR to the newly formed Tajik SSR in 1929. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Tajikistan. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and experienced a civil war between regional factions from 1992 to 1997. Tajikistan endured several domestic security incidents during 2010-12, including armed conflict between government forces and local strongmen in the Rasht Valley and government forces and criminal groups in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast. The country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Tajikistan became a member of the World Trade Organization in March 2013. However, its economy continues to face major challenges, including dependence on remittances from Tajikistanis working in Russia, pervasive corruption, and the major role narcotrafficking plays in the country's informal economy.
Central Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan
total: 143,100 sq km
country comparison to the world: 96
land: 141,510 sq km
water: 2,590 sq km
slightly smaller than Wisconsin
total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
arable land: 5.96%
permanent crops: 0.91%
other: 93.13% (2011)
total: 11.49 cu km/yr (6%/4%/91%)
per capita: 1,740 cu m/yr (2006)
inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani
Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6% (2000 census)
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shia Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)
7,910,041 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
0-14 years: 33.4% (male 1,343,251/female 1,296,192)
15-24 years: 20.4% (male 818,089/female 795,303)
25-54 years: 38.5% (male 1,501,713/female 1,541,413)
55-64 years: 4.6% (male 165,220/female 195,363)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 106,605/female 146,892) (2013 est.)
total dependency ratio: 64.1 %
youth dependency ratio: 58.9 %
elderly dependency ratio: 5.2 %
potential support ratio: 19.1 (2013)
total: 23.2 years
male: 22.7 years
female: 23.7 years (2013 est.)
1.79% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
25.49 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
6.38 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
-1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
urban population: 26.5% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 1.66% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
DUSHANBE (capital) 704,000 (2009)
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: 0.97 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.85 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
22.8
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2012 est.)
65 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 94
total: 36.16 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 64
male: 40.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 31.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
total population: 66.72 years
country comparison to the world: 166
male: 63.63 years
female: 69.97 years (2013 est.)
2.8 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
5.8% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 117
1.9 physicians/1,000 population (2011)
5.5 beds/1,000 population (2011)
0.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
9,100 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2013)
8.6% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 136
15% (2005)
country comparison to the world: 51
3.9% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 115
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.6% (2011 est.)
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 11 years (2011)
total number: 164,432
percentage: 10 % (2005 est.)
total: 16.7%
country comparison to the world: 77
male: 19.2%
female: 13.7% (2009)
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston
local short form: Tojikiston
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
name: Dushanbe
geographic coordinates: 38 33 N, 68 46 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 (Qurghonteppa), Kuhistoni Badakhshon [Gorno-Badakhshan]* (Khorugh), Nohiyahoi Tobei Jumhuri***, Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
9 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
several previous; latest adopted 6 November 1994; amended 1999, 2003 (2009)
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
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); First Deputy Prime Minister Davlatali SAIDOV (since 19 November 2013)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (technically eligible for two terms); election last held on 6 November 2013 (next to be held in November 2020); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Emomali RAHMON reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMON 83.9%, Ismoil TALBAKOV 5%, other 11.1%
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milli (34 seats; 25 members selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the former president; members serve five-year terms) and the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; 41 members elected through constituencies, 22 members elected through party selection; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held on 28 February 2010 (next to be held in February 2015); Assembly of Representatives - last held on 28 February 2010 (next to be held in February 2015)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 71%, IRPT 8.2%, CPT 7%, APT 5.1%, PERT 5.1%, other 3.6%; seats by party - PDPT 55, IRPT 2, CPT 2, APT 2, PERT 2
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chairman, deputy chairmen, and 34 judges organized into civil, criminal, and military chambers); Constitutional Court (consists of the court chairman, vice-president, and 5 judges); High Economic Court (consists 16 judicial positions)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, and High Economic Court judges nominated by the president of the republic and approved by the National Assembly; judges of all three courts appointed for 10-year renewable terms with no limit on terms, but 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
Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir QARAQULOV]
influential religious leader Akbar TURAJONZODA
ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), 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
chief of mission: Ambassador Nuriddin SHAMSOV (since 30 July 2012)
chancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090
FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091
chief of mission: Ambassador Susan M. ELLIOTT (since 25 July 2012)
embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Avenue, Dushanbe 734019
mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189
telephone: [992] (37) 229-20-00
FAX: [992] (37) 229-20-50
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
crown surmounted by seven, five-pointed stars
name: "Surudi milli" (National Anthem)
lyrics/music: Gulnazar KELDI/Suleiman 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
Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Because of a lack of employment opportunities in Tajikistan, more than one million Tajik citizens work abroad, almost all of them in Russia, supporting families in Tajikistan through remittances. Less than 7% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop, and its production is closely monitored, and in many cases controlled, by the government. In the wake of the National Bank of Tajikistan's admission in December 2007 that it had improperly lent money to investors in the cotton sector, the IMF canceled its program in Tajikistan. A reform agenda is underway, according to which over half a billion dollars in farmer debt has been forgiven, and IMF assistance has been reinstated. Mineral resources include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists mainly of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Tajikistan's economic situation remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, corruption, weak governance, seasonal power shortages, and the external debt burden. Electricity output expanded with the completion of the Sangtuda-1 hydropower dam - finished in 2009 with Russian investment. The smaller Sangtuda-2, built with Iranian investment, began operating in 2012. The government of Tajikistan is pinning major hopes on the massive Roghun dam which, if finished according to Tajik plans, will be the tallest dam in the world and significantly expand electricity output. The World Bank is funding two feasibility studies for the dam (technical-economic, and social-environmental), scheduled to be completed in mid-2013. In January 2010, the government began selling shares in the Roghun enterprise to its population, ultimately raising over $180 million but Tajikistan will still need significant investment to complete the dam. According to numerous reports, many Tajik individuals and businesses were forced to buy shares. The coerced share sales finally ended in mid-2010 under intense criticism from donors, particularly the IMF. Food and fuel prices in 2011 increased to the highest levels seen since 2002 due in part to an increase in rail transport tariffs through Uzbekistan. Tajikistan imports approximately 60% of its food and 90% of that comes by rail. Uzbekistan closed one of the rail lines into Tajikistan in late 2011, hampering the transit of goods to and from the southern part of the country.
$17.56 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
$7.489 billion (2012 est.)
7.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
$2,200 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
17.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
household consumption: 106.6%
government consumption: 11.6%
investment in fixed capital: 19.1%
investment in inventories: 2%
exports of goods and services: 15.8%
imports of goods and services: -55%
agriculture: 25.6%
industry: 25%
services: 49.3% (2012 est.)
cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
aluminum, cement, vegetable oil
5.2% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
2.1 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 121
agriculture: 47.9%
industry: 10.9%
services: 41.2% (2012 est.)
2.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
note: official rates; actual unemployment is much higher
39.6% (December 2012 est)
lowest 10%: 3.5%
highest 10%: 24.3% (2009 est.)
32.6 (2006)
country comparison to the world: 102
revenues: $2.111 billion
expenditures: $2.005 billion (2012 est.)
28.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
1.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
5.8% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
6.5% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
17.13% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
$1.191 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
$2 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
$1.196 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
$-246.2 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
$826.6 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Turkey 30.3%, China 9.5%, Iran 7.4%, Kazakhstan 6%, Afghanistan 5.9%, Bangladesh 5.2%, Russia 4.3% (2012)
$4.382 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
China 41.2%, Russia 15.8%, Kazakhstan 12.6%, Turkey 5.5%, Iran 4.2% (2012)
$628.5 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
$3.439 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
$1.8 billion (February 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
$18.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
Tajikistani somoni (TJS) per US dollar -
16.9 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
15.9 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
1 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
300.5 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
4.426 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
91% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
218.6 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
78.6 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
12 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 88
45,810 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
427.9 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
7,758 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
40 million cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
172 million cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
132.4 million cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 92
2.618 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
393,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 106
6.528 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 98
general assessment: foreign investment in the telephone system has resulted in major improvements; conversion of the existing fixed network from analogue to digital was completed in 2012
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
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); satellite earth stations - 3 (2 Intelsat and 1 Orbita) (2011)
state-run TV broadcaster transmits nationally on 4 stations and regionally on 4 stations; 11 independent TV stations broadcast locally and regionally; some households are able to receive Russian and other foreign stations via cable and satellite; state-run radio broadcaster operates Radio Tajikistan, Voice of Dushanbe, and several regional stations; a small number of independent radio stations (2010)
6,258 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 142
700,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 110
24 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 131
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2013)
total: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m:
gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2013)
total: 680 km
country comparison to the world: 103
broad gauge: 680 km 1.520-m gauge (2008)
total: 27,767 km (2000)
country comparison to the world: 98
200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2011)
country comparison to the world: 99
Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Mobile Forces (2013)
18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation; males required to undergo compulsory military training between ages 16 and 55; males can enroll in military schools from at least age 15 (2012)
males age 16-49: 2,012,790
females age 16-49: 2,020,618 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 1,490,267
females age 16-49: 1,675,083 (2010 est.)
male: 76,430
female: 74,038 (2010 est.)
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
stateless persons: 2,300 (2012)
