KYRGYZSTAN

Central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan

total: 199,951 sq km land: 191,801 sq km water: 8,150 sq km

semiarid dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan Mountains; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in the northern foothill zone

6,071,750 (2022 est.)

The economy of Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked, mountainous, lower-middle-income nation, is based mostly on the exploitation of minerals, agriculture, and remittances from citizens who work abroad. The principal agricultural products are cotton, wool, and beef, but only cotton is exported in significant quantities. Gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, and – in some years – electricity are among the other exports. The nation has tried to entice foreign investment to increase its export base through the building of hydroelectric dams among other projects, but a challenging investment environment and a legal dispute with a Canadian company over the joint ownership structure of the country's largest gold mine deter potential investors. Over a quarter of Kyrgyzstan's GDP is made up of remittances from migrant workers, mostly in Russia and Kazakhstan. Following independence, Kyrgyzstan quickly put into place market reforms like a better regulatory structure and land reform. Kyrgyzstan became the first member of the Commonwealth of Independent States to join the World Trade Organization in 1998. A large portion of the government's ownership in public companies has been privatized. The early 1990s saw a sharp decline in production for the nation despite these changes, and slow development has returned in recent years as the global financial crisis and falling oil prices have affected economies throughout Central Asia. The Kyrgyz government continues to rely on assistance from international donors to cover its yearly budget deficit, which ranges from 3 to 5% of GDP. The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which Kyrgyzstan joined in August 2015, is expected to boost trade and investment, but weakening economies in China and Russia as well as low commodity prices continue to restrain economic growth. Large-scale trade and investment have taken longer to materialize than officials of Kyrgyzstan had promised. Many businesspeople and officials in Kyrgyzstan argue that non-tariff restrictions imposed by other EAEU members are harming industries like meat and dairy production, where they have a comparative advantage. Although many local business owners think this process is fragmented and unfinished, the Kyrgyz Republic has proceeded to harmonize its rules and regulations since joining the EAEU to meet EAEU standards. Corruption, a lack of administrative transparency, a lack of diversification in domestic industry, and difficulties luring international aid and investment continue to impede Kyrgyzstan's economic development.

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.)

3.18% (2019 est.) 2.59% (2018 est.) country comparison to the world: 44

Kyrgyz (official) 71.4%, Uzbek 14.4%, Russian (official) 9%, other 5.2% (2009 est.)

Muslim 90% (majority Sunni), Christian 7% (Russian Orthodox 3%), other 3% (includes Jewish, Buddhist, Baha'i) (2017 est.)

0-14 years: 30.39% (male 930,455/female 882,137) 15-24 years: 15.7% (male 475,915/female 460,604) 25-54 years: 40.02% (male 1,172,719/female 1,214,624) 55-64 years: 8.09% (male 210,994/female 271,480) 65 years and over: 5.8% (2020 est.) (male 132,134/female 213,835)

major flooding during snow melt; prone to earthquakes

$31.02 billion (2020 est.) $33.95 billion (2019 est.) $32.46 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars country comparison to the world: 137

4.6% (2017 est.) 4.3% (2016 est.) 3.9% (2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 59

$4,700 (2020 est.) $5,300 (2019 est.) $5,100 (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars country comparison to the world: 176

$8.442 billion (2019 est.)