About Tajikistan
Tajik - the sole official language, spoken by ~84.4% of the population; a variety of Persian, reflecting the country's historical ties to Persian culture.
Uzbek - spoken by ~11.9% of the population.
Kyrgyz and Russian are also spoken, with Russian widely used in government and business.
Tajik is the sole official language of Tajikistan.
| Geography |
Location: Central Asia, west of China, landlocked
Map references: Central Asia
Area:
total: 143,100-144,100 sq km
Land boundaries:
border countries: Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan
Terrain: mountainous, including the Pamirs; highest point Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), the tallest mountain in the former USSR
| People |
Population: 10.59-10.79 million (2025 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.43%
65 years and over: 3.63% (2022 est.)
Median age: 22.8 years (2025 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population 71.9 years (male 70.1, female 73.8) (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 32.33 deaths/1,000 live births
Nationality:
noun/adjective: Tajikistani(s)
Ethnic groups: Tajik 84.3% (includes Pamiri and Yagnobi), Uzbek 13.8%, other 2% (Kyrgyz, Russian, Turkmen, Tatar, Arab) (2014 est.)
Religions: Muslim 98% (Sunni 95%, Shia 3%), other 2% (2014 est.)
Languages: Tajik (official) 84.4%, Uzbek 11.9%, Kyrgyz 0.8%, Russian 0.5%, other 2.4% (2010 est.); Russian widely used in government and business
Literacy: total population 94.6% (female) (2017 est.)
Population distribution: concentrated at lower elevations, with perhaps as many as 90% living in valleys; overall density increases from east to west
| Government |
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
Data code: TI
Government type: presidential republic; widely characterized as authoritarian
National capital: Dushanbe
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emomali Rahmon (in power since 1994); a constitutional referendum lowered the minimum presidential candidacy age from 35 to 30, making his son Rustam Emomali, mayor of Dushanbe, eligible to run
Independence: 9 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
| Economy |
Economy - overview: lower-middle-income Central Asian economy; heavily dependent on remittances (37.8-49.9% of GDP in recent years, among the highest in the world) from Tajik migrant workers, primarily in Russia; agriculture remains a significant sector
GDP (purchasing power parity): $62.65-69.67 billion (2025-2026 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 9.4% (2021, most recent detailed figure)
GDP - per capita: $6,048-6,616 PPP (2025-2026 est.)
Inflation rate: 3.1% (2025 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6.9% (2025 est.)
Population below poverty line: 27.4% (2018)
Currency: Tajikistani somoni (TJS)
| Military |
Military branches: Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan: Ground Forces, Mobile Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces; Tajik National Guard; Ministry of Internal Affairs: Internal Troops; State Committee on National Security: Border Troops (2025)