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The Eurasia Center
2947 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016
www.eurasiacenter.org
Email:President@eurasiacenter.org
Country Report: The Republic of Tajikistan
History:
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The area which now makes up the Republic of Tajikistan has throughout history passed under the control of various Empires including the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great’s Empire, the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, Soghdiana.1
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During the 8th Century Arab invaders conquered Central Asia and introduced Islam and later fell under the power of the Persian Samanid Dynasty, Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire, Tamerlane’s Turkic Empire, 19th Centry Tsarist Russia, the Emirate of Bukhara, and the Soviet Union in 1921.2
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After gaining its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country plunged into a civil war between Pro-Government forces and an diverse opposition that included both Democratic and Islamist reformists that lasted from 1992 to 1997.3
Political Considerations:
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The capital is Dushanbe.
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Tajikistan is divided into four administrative divisions, Sughd, Khatlon, Gorno-Badakhshan, and the Region of Republican Subordination. .
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Tajikistan is officially a republic, in which elections are held for the presidency and parliament. It is considered by most, however, to be a one party dominanted system, with the People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan consistently holding the majority of seats in Parliament. Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda is a member of the PDPT. The current president, Emomali Rahmon won 83.6 percent of the vote in an election plagued by a lack of pluralism, alleged censorship, and harassment of competing candidates. 4
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Tajikistan is often criticized for its constrictions on the media. Although the freedom of the press is officially guaranteed by the government, access to foreign websites is usually blocked and news sources are extremely limited.
Economic Indicators:
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Tajikistan became a Member of the World Trade Organization in March 2013.5
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The 2014 GDP per capita measured 2,700 US Dollars, placing Tajikistan among the most impoverished nations in the world at number 192.6
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By 2004, economic growth had reached 10.6%, but the world-wide recession has greatly affected Tajikistan and has held growth below 8% since 2005. Despite yet another decline in 2009, Tajikistan seems to be once again on an upward drive with a real GDP growth rate of 6.7% in 2014.7
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Nearly half of the money earned comes from the remittances of the estimated 1 million Tajiks working abroad, mainly in Russia.
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Agriculture, mostly related to the cotton, makes up 25.2% of GDP, while industries account for 17.3% and services, 57.5%. 9
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Main exports include aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, and textiles most of which are sent to Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Kazakhstan.10
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Hydropower is proving to be one of the most promising of the country’s industries, with hydroelectric plants providing 91% of total installed capacity.11 The Sangtuda I hydropower dam was completed in 2009 with the help of Russian investment. Low tariffs on electricity lead to overuse by consumes and deficit spending by the government, such that seventy percent of the populations experiences significant annual blackouts.12 A second plant, Sangtuda II built by Iran was put into operation September 5, 2011 and was completed in May 2013.13
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Tajikistan heavily relies on foreign aid coming from China, the US, Russia, and the IMF, to sponsor tasks such as these, as well as improving the infrastructure of the country.14
Environment:
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Tajikistan is located in a mountainous region of Central Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan and shares borders with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
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Only 6.1% of the land is arable. Increasing levels of soil salinity, industrial pollution, and excessive pesticide use threaten the already fragile agricultural sector. 15
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Tajikistan’s natural resources include hydropower, petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, and gold.16
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Tajikistan is threatened by glacial melting, increasing spread of disease, water shortages, and food shortages.17
Demographics:
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Population is 8,191,958 as of July 2015.
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Ethnic groups include: Tajik 84.3%, Uzbek 13.8%, and 2% including Kyrgyx, Russian, Turkmen, Tartar, and Arab
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Islam is the major religion with 85% of the population Sunni Muslim and 5% Shia Muslim.
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32.75% of the population is under the age of 14, 19.7% is between 15 and 24 years old, 39.26% is between 25 and 54 years old, 5.1% is between 55 and 64 years old, and 3.4% is 65 years or older.
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Population growth rate is 1.71%.
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The total fertility rate is 2.71 children born per woman.18
This Report was written by Emma Schroeder, Eurasia Center Research Assistant, under the supervision of Dr. Gerard Janco, President of the Eurasia Center and Eurasian Business Coalition.
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