Capital

Kirgisistan

name: Bishkek

geographic coordinates: 42 52 N, 74 36 E

time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: founded in 1868 as a Russian settlement on the site of a previously destroyed fortress named "Pishpek"; the name was retained and overtime became "Bishkek"

Citizenship

Kirgisistan

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kyrgyzstan

dual citizenship recognized: yes, but only if a mutual treaty on dual citizenship is in force

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Kirgisistan

civil law system, which includes features of French civil law and Russian Federation laws

Suffrage

Kirgisistan

18 years of age; universal

Area

Kirgisistan

total: 199,951 sq km

land: 191,801 sq km

water: 8,150 sq km

Land use

Kirgisistan

agricultural land: 55.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 6.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 48.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 5.1% (2018 est.)

other: 39.5% (2018 est.)

Location

Kirgisistan

Central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan

Age structure

Kirgisistan

0-14 years: 29.54% (male 928,876/female 879,729)

15-64 years: 63.86% (male 1,914,277/female 1,995,500)

65 years and over: 6.6% (2023 est.) (male 154,684/female 249,715)

Birth rate

Kirgisistan

19.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Kirgisistan

6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Kirgisistan

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

major-language sample(s):
Дүйнөлүк фактылар китеби, негизги маалыматтын маанилүү булагы. (Kyrgyz)

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Life expectancy at birth

Kirgisistan

total population: 72.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 68.6 years

female: 77 years

Major urban areas - population

Kirgisistan

1.105 million BISHKEK (capital) (2023)

Median age

Kirgisistan

total: 28.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 26.7 years

female: 29.5 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Kirgisistan

22.6 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Kirgisistan

-4.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Kirgisistan

the vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas; densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west; the least densely populated area is the east, southeast in the Tien Shan mountains

Population growth rate

Kirgisistan

0.82% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Kirgisistan

2.47 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Kirgisistan

urban population: 37.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 2.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Kirgisistan

6.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Kirgisistan

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2021)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Kirgisistan

-3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Kirgisistan

3.1% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Kirgisistan

2.478 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Kirgisistan

20.1% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Kirgisistan

9.1% (2021 est.)

8.71% (2020 est.)

6.92% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Kirgisistan

72.23% of GDP (2020 est.)

54.23% of GDP (2019 est.)

51.66% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Kirgisistan

11.91% (2021 est.)

6.33% (2020 est.)

1.13% (2019 est.)

Exports

Kirgisistan

$3.35 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$2.435 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.108 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Kirgisistan

United Kingdom 56%, Kazakhstan 13%, Russia 13%, Uzbekistan 5% (2019)

Imports

Kirgisistan

$5.919 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$4.051 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$5.67 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Kirgisistan

China 53%, Russia 17%, Kazakhstan 7%, Uzbekistan 7%, Turkey 5% (2019)

Airports

Kirgisistan

28 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Kirgisistan

total: 289,000 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Kirgisistan

total: 5.07 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 78% (2021 est.)

Railways

Kirgisistan

total: 424 km (2022)

broad gauge: 424 km (2018) 1.520-m gauge

Roadways

Kirgisistan

total: 34,000 km (2022)

Telephones - fixed lines

Kirgisistan

total subscriptions: 300,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Kirgisistan

total subscriptions: 8.5 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 130 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Kirgisistan

576 km (2022)

Disputes - international

Kirgisistan

Kyrgyzstan-China: a 2009 treaty settled a border dispute, with Kyrgyzstan receiving the Khan Tengri Peak and Kyrgyzstan ceding to China the Uzengi-Kush area

Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan: in January 2019, Kyrgyzstan ratified the 2017 agreement on the demarcation of the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border

Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan: as the last major Central Asian boundary dispute with lengthy undelimited sections, the lowland (NE part) of the Kyrgz-Tajik line seems intractable despite recent Kyrgyz-Uzbek compromises and agreements on delimitation and demarcation

Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan: delimitation of approximately 15% or 200 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes over enclaves and other areas; Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials signed an agreement in March 2021 on the final delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border; the accord included several land swaps that gave Kyrgyzstan more territory but was offset by Uzbekistan retaining use of reservoirs on Kyrgyz land; although a Kyrgyz official returned from the March 2021 meetings and said the decades-old border dispute was 100% resolved, his talks with residents in some affected areas showed that agreement had not been reached on all border segments