Dushanbe
Tajikistan
Key facts and a structured country profile. ๐งพ Change log ๐ True Size
10,593,876 (2025 est.)
144,100 sq km
Central Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan
๐งญ Background
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 (known as "basmachi") fiercely contested Bolshevik control of the area, which was not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan was first established as an autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924, but in 1929 the Soviet Union made Tajikistan as 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 after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the country experienced a civil war among political, regional, and religious factions from 1992 to 1997. Despite Tajikistan's general elections for both the presidency (once every seven years) and legislature (once every five years), observers note an electoral system rife with irregularities and abuse, and results that are neither free nor fair. President Emomali RAHMON, who came to power in 1992 during the civil war and was first elected president in 1994, used an attack planned by a disaffected deputy defense minister in 2015 to ban the last major opposition party in Tajikistan. 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 made RAHMON's first-born son Rustam EMOMALI, the mayor of the capital city of Dushanbe, eligible to run for president in 2020. RAHMON orchestrated EMOMALI's selection in 2020 as chairman of the Majlisi Milli (the upper chamber of Tajikistan's parliament), positioning EMOMALI as next in line of succession for the presidency. RAHMON opted to run in the presidential election later that year and received 91% of the vote. The country remains the poorest of the former Soviet republics. Tajikistan became a member of the WTO in 2013, but its economy continues to face major challenges, including dependence on remittances from Tajikistani migrant laborers in Russia and Kazakhstan, pervasive corruption, the opiate trade, and 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 informal leaders in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast. Tajikistan suffered its first ISIS-claimed attack in 2018, when assailants attacked a group of Western bicyclists, killing four. Friction between forces on the border between Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic flared up in 2021, culminating in fatal clashes between border forces in 2021 and 2022.
๐บ๏ธ Geography
Central Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan
39 00 N, 71 00 E
Asia
144,100 sq km
141,510 sq km
2,590 sq km
Slightly smaller than Wisconsin
4,130 km
Afghanistan 1,357 km; China 477 km; Kyrgyzstan 984 km; Uzbekistan 1,312 km
0 km (landlocked)
None (landlocked)
Mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Mountainous region dominated by the Alay Mountains in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofirnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Qullai Somoniyon 7,495 m
Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
3,186 m
Hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
27.9% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 6.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.5% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 20.4% (2023 est.)
3.1% (2023 est.)
69% (2023 est.)
5,681 sq km (2022)
Syr Darya (shared with Kyrgyzstan [s], Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan [m]) - 3,078 km; Amu Darya river source (shared with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km), (Aral Sea Basin) Amu Darya (534,739 sq km), Syr Darya (782,617 sq km)
The population is concentrated at lower elevations, with perhaps as many as 90% living in valleys; overall density increases from east to west
Earthquakes; floods
Landlocked; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR
๐ฅ People and Societyโฌ๏ธ Top
10,593,876 (2025 est.)
5,322,920
5,270,956
Tajikistani(s)
Tajikistani
Tajik 84.3% (includes Pamiri and Yagnobi), Uzbek 13.8%, other 2% (includes Kyrgyz, Russian, Turkmen, Tatar, Arab) (2014 est.)
Tajik (official) 84.4%, Uzbek 11.9%, Kyrgyz 0.8%, Russian 0.5%, other 2.4% (2010 est.)
ะะธัะพะฑะธ ะคะฐะบัาณะพะธ าถะฐาณะพะฝำฃ, ะผะฐะฝะฑะฐะธ ะฑะตะฑะฐะดะฐะปะธ ะผะฐัะปัะผะพัะธ ะฐัะพัำฃ (Tajik) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Muslim 98% (Sunni 95%, Shia 3%) other 2% (2014 est.)
36.9% (male 1,953,472/female 1,877,192)
59.3% (male 3,086,964/female 3,071,642)
3.9% (2024 est.) (male 181,382/female 223,411)
68.5 (2025 est.)
61.5 (2025 est.)
6.9 (2025 est.)
14.5 (2025 est.)
22.8 years (2025 est.)
22.3 years
23.2 years
1.89% (2025 est.)
25.31 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
4.45 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
-1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
The population is concentrated at lower elevations, with perhaps as many as 90% living in valleys; overall density increases from east to west
28.2% of total population (2023)
2.73% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
987,000 DUSHANBE (capital) (2023)
1.05 male(s)/female
1.04 male(s)/female
1 male(s)/female
0.81 male(s)/female
1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
23.2 years (2017 est.)
14 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
24.3 deaths/1,000 live births
18.9 deaths/1,000 live births
71.9 years (2024 est.)
70.1 years
73.8 years
3.52 children born/woman (2025 est.)
1.71 (2025 est.)
Urban: 95.6% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 76.6% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 81.9% of population (2022 est.)
Urban: 4.4% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 23.4% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 18.1% of population (2022 est.)
8% of GDP (2021)
6.4% of national budget (2022 est.)
1.87 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
4.3 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Urban: 98.9% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 99.4% of population (2022 est.)
Urban: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.6% of population (2022 est.)
14.2% (2016)
0.85 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0.45 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
5.2% (2023 est.)
68% (2020 est.)
0.1% (2017)
8.7% (2017)
5.4% of GDP (2023 est.)
19.3% national budget (2024 est.)
94.6% (2017 est.)
12 years (2024 est.)
12 years (2024 est.)
11 years (2024 est.)
๐ฟ Environmentโฌ๏ธ Top
Air pollution from motor vehicles and industry; water pollution from agricultural runoff and untreated industrial waste and sewage; poor management of water resources; soil erosion; increasing levels of soil salinity
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, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
None of the selected agreements
Mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
27.9% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 6.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.5% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 20.4% (2023 est.)
3.1% (2023 est.)
69% (2023 est.)
28.2% of total population (2023)
2.73% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
8.616 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
4.676 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
3.855 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
86,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
53.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
1.787 million tons (2024 est.)
13.9% (2022 est.)
912 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
1.61 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
7.378 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
21.91 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
๐๏ธ Governmentโฌ๏ธ Top
Republic of Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Jumhurii Tojikiston
Tojikiston
Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
The Persian suffix -ostan means "land," so the country name means "Land of the Tajik [people];" the name Tajik comes from the Sanskrit tajika, a name originally used to distinguish Arabs from Turks and derived from the Tay, an Arab people
Presidential republic
Dushanbe
38 33 N, 68 46 E
UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
The name means Monday in Persian; today's city was originally at the crossroads where a large bazaar was held on Mondays, or the second day (du) after Saturday (shambe)
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)
Civil law system
Several previous; latest adopted 6 November 1994
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 Tajikistanโs form of government, its territory, and its democratic nature, cannot be amended
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
No
At least one parent must be a citizen of Tajikistan
No
5 years or 3 years of continuous residence prior to application
18 years of age; universal
President Emomali RAHMON (since 16 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly Chairman since 20 November 1992)
Prime Minister Qohir RASULZODA (since 23 November 2013)
Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly
President directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 7-year term (two-term limit), but as the "Leader of the Nation," president has no term limit; prime minister appointed by the president
11 October 2020
2020: Emomali RAHMON reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMON (PDPT) 92.1%, Rustam LATIFZODA (APT) 3.1%, other 4.8% 2013: Emomali RAHMON reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMON (PDPT) 84%, Ismoil TALBAKOV CPT) 5%, other 11%
2027
Supreme Council (Majlisi Oli)
Bicameral
House of Representatives (Majlisi namoyandogon)
63 (all directly elected)
Mixed system
Full renewal
5 years
3/2/2025
People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT) (49); Agrarian Party of Tajikistan (APT) (7); Party of Economic Reforms of Tajikistan (PERT) (5); Other (2)
28.6%
March 2030
National Assembly (Majlisi milli)
33 (25 indirectly elected; 8 appointed)
Full renewal
5 years
3/28/2025
30.3%
March 2030
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)
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
Regional and district courts; Dushanbe City Court; viloyat (province-level) courts; Court of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region
Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT Democratic Party or DPT Party of Economic Reforms or PERT People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT Socialist Party of Tajikistan or SPT
Ambassador-designate Zavqi ZAVQIZODA (since 14 November 2025)
1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
[1] (202) 223-6090
[1] (202) 223-6091
Tajemus@mfa.tj https://mfa.tj/en/washington
Ambassador Manuel P. MICALLER Jr. (since 9 March 2023)
109-A Ismoili Somoni Avenue (Zarafshon district), Dushanbe 734019
7090 Dushanbe Place, Washington DC 20521-7090
[992] (37) 229-20-00
[992] (37) 229-20-50
DushanbeConsular@state.gov https://tj.usembassy.gov/
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, UNISFA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
9 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
Description: three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown under seven five-pointed gold stars is in the center of the white stripe meaning: red stands for the sun, victory, and the unity of the nation; white for purity, cotton, and mountain snows; green for Islam and nature's bounty; the crown symbolizes the Tajik people; the stars represent the number seven, which is considered a symbol of perfection and the embodiment of happiness
Arc of seven five-pointed stars over a crown, Marco Polo sheep
Red, white, green
"Surudi milli" (National Anthem)
Gulnazar KELDI/Sulaimon YUDAKOV
Adopted 1994; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan kept the music of its Soviet-era anthem, but adopted new lyrics
5 (3 cultural, 2 natural)
Proto-urban Site of Sarazm (c); Tajik National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs) (n); Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor (c); Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve (n); Cultural Heritage Sites of Ancient Khuttal (c)
๐น Economyโฌ๏ธ Top
Lower-middle-income Central Asian economy; large infrastructure projects, including Rogun Dam, and a push towards green development and digitalization driving growth; strong metal mining, electricity, and manufacturing industries; challenges include land scarcity, climate vulnerability, and complex bureaucratic processes for investors
$50.37 billion (2024 est.)
$46.467 billion (2023 est.)
$42.905 billion (2022 est.)
8.4% (2024 est.)
8.3% (2023 est.)
8% (2022 est.)
$4,800 (2024 est.)
$4,500 (2023 est.)
$4,200 (2022 est.)
$14.205 billion (2024 est.)
7.7% (2019 est.)
3.9% (2018 est.)
7.3% (2017 est.)
22.9% (2023 est.)
33.6% (2023 est.)
34.7% (2023 est.)
89.6% (2023 est.)
10.7% (2023 est.)
28.3% (2023 est.)
3.4% (2023 est.)
17.2% (2023 est.)
-48.4% (2023 est.)
Potatoes, milk, wheat, watermelons, onions, tomatoes, carrots/turnips, cotton, vegetables, grapes (2023)
Aluminum, cement, coal, gold, silver, antimony, textile, vegetable oil
9.9% (2023 est.)
2.78 million (2024 est.)
11.7% (2024 est.)
11.6% (2023 est.)
11.7% (2022 est.)
27.1% (2024 est.)
30% (2024 est.)
23.3% (2024 est.)
20.4% (2023 est.)
34 (2015 est.)
3% (2015 est.)
26.4% (2015 est.)
47.9% of GDP (2024 est.)
37.8% of GDP (2023 est.)
49.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
$2.911 billion (2023 est.)
$3.036 billion (2023 est.)
42% of GDP (2016 est.)
10.8% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
$887.016 million (2024 est.)
$584.022 million (2023 est.)
$1.635 billion (2022 est.)
$1.618 billion (2024 est.)
$2.105 billion (2023 est.)
$1.753 billion (2022 est.)
Switzerland 31%, Kazakhstan 18%, China 17%, Uzbekistan 10%, Turkey 8% (2023)
Gold, precious metal ore, aluminum, lead ore, antimony (2023)
$6.907 billion (2024 est.)
$5.931 billion (2023 est.)
$5.261 billion (2022 est.)
China 57%, Kazakhstan 13%, Uzbekistan 8%, Turkey 6%, UAE 4% (2023)
Garments, footwear, cars, wheat, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)
$3.304 billion (2023 est.)
$3.847 billion (2022 est.)
$2.499 billion (2021 est.)
$3.024 billion (2023 est.)
Tajikistani somoni (TJS) per US dollar -
10.799 (2024 est.)
10.845 (2023 est.)
11.031 (2022 est.)
11.309 (2021 est.)
10.322 (2020 est.)
โก Energyโฌ๏ธ Top
100% (2022 est.)
99%
100%
6.481 million kW (2023 est.)
15.275 billion kWh (2023 est.)
3.101 billion kWh (2023 est.)
714.025 million kWh (2023 est.)
3.94 billion kWh (2023 est.)
7.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
92.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
2.394 million metric tons (2023 est.)
2.297 million metric tons (2023 est.)
475,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
147,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
4.075 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
300 bbl/day (2023 est.)
31,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
12 million barrels (2021 est.)
18.476 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
43.767 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
24.196 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
5.663 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
16.192 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
๐ก Communicationsโฌ๏ธ Top
502,000 (2021 est.)
5 (2022 est.)
7.92 million (2023 est.)
119 (2023 est.)
State-run broadcaster has 9 national TV and 10 radio stations, and 4 regional stations; 31 independent TV and 20 independent radio stations broadcast locally and regionally; Russian and other foreign stations available via cable and satellite (2016)
.tj
57% (2023 est.)
6,000 (2022 est.)
(2022 est.) less than 1
๐ Transportationโฌ๏ธ Top
EY
19 (2025)
1 (2025)
680 km (2014)
680 km (2014) 1.520-m gauge
๐ก๏ธ Military and Securityโฌ๏ธ Top
Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan: Ground Forces, Mobile Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces Tajik National Guard (TNG); Ministry of Internal Affairs: Internal Troops of Tajikistan; State Committee on National Security: Border Troops (aka Tajik Border Service) (2025)
1.8% of GDP (2024 est.)
2% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
Estimated 10,000 active Armed Forces; estimated 5-10,000 active paramilitary National Guard, Border Service, and Internal Troops personnel (2025)
The military is equipped with mostly older Russian and Soviet-era armaments; it also has smaller amounts of items from suppliers such as China, Tรผrkiye, and the US (2025)
18-27 years of age for compulsory (men only) or voluntary (men and women) military service; up to a 24-month service obligation for conscripts based on education level (2025)
The military's primary concerns are terrorism, border security, territorial defense, and regional security, particularly in neighboring Afghanistan; Russia is traditionally Tajikistanโs most important security partner and thousands of Russian troops are stationed in the country, primarily at the 201st military base, which Moscow has leased until at least 2042; Russia and Tajikistan have a joint air defense system, and they conduct periodic joint exercises; Tajikistan has been a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and contributes troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force; Tajikistan also cooperates on security matters with China, including joint military training Tajikistan is the only former Soviet republic that did not form its armed forces from old Soviet Army units following the collapse of the USSR in 1991; rather, Russia retained command of the Soviet units there while the Tajik government raised a military from scratch; the first ground forces were officially created in 1993 from groups that fought for the government during the Tajik Civil War (2025)
๐จ Terrorismโฌ๏ธ Top
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
๐ Transnational Issuesโฌ๏ธ Top
15,191 (2024 est.)
238 (2024 est.)
4,466 (2024 est.)
Source: Factbook JSON archive.