If you lived in Tajikistan instead of Kyrgyzstan, you would:

Health

have 19.3% more doctors per person

Kyrgyzstan has 15.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tajikistan has 18.7 as of 2023.

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be 64.3% less likely to die by suicide

Kyrgyzstan has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tajikistan, it is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 17.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Kyrgyzstan, 24.0% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Tajikistan, however, that number is 19.8% as of 2024.

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be 96.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Kyrgyzstan, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tajikistan, that number is 6.9% as of 2025.

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make 46.9% less money

Kyrgyzstan has a GDP per capita of $3,081 as of 2025, while in Tajikistan, the GDP per capita is $1,637 as of 2025.

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Life

be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kyrgyzstan, approximately 42.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Tajikistan, 14.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 30.6% more children

In Kyrgyzstan, there are approximately 19.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tajikistan, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 58.8% more likely to die during infancy

In Kyrgyzstan, approximately 14.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Tajikistan, on the other hand, 23.5 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 39.4% less likely to have internet access

In Kyrgyzstan, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tajikistan, about 55.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 20.4% less on education

Kyrgyzstan spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tajikistan spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 65.3% more on healthcare

Kyrgyzstan spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tajikistan, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 49.1% less likely to be murdered

Kyrgyzstan has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Tajikistan, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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Infrastructure

find 87.4% less home broadband

Kyrgyzstan has 7.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tajikistan has 1.0 as of 2023.

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live with 39.8% more strain on fresh water

Kyrgyzstan withdraws 50% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Tajikistan withdraws 70% as of 2022.

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use 27.6% less electricity

Kyrgyzstan uses 2,069 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Tajikistan uses 1,497 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 38.3% less CO2

Kyrgyzstan emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tajikistan emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 80.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Kyrgyzstan, air pollution causes 88.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tajikistan, it causes 159.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this

Tajikistan: At a glance

Tajikistan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 141,510 sq km. 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. 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 the USSR designated Tajikistan a separate republic in 1929 and transferred to it much of present-day Sughd province. 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 between 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.
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How big is Tajikistan compared to Kyrgyzstan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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