Kyrgyzstan

parliamentary republic

name: Bishkek geographic coordinates: 42 52 N, 74 36 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the meaning of the name is unknown; the city was founded in 1862 as a Russian settlement on the site of an Uzbek fortress named Bishkek; the Russian version of the name was Pishpek, and the original name only came back into use in 1991

chief of state: President Sadyr JAPAROV (since 28 January 2021) head of government: Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek KASYMALIYEV (since 18 December 2024) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) most recent election date: 10 January 2021 election results: 2021: Sadyr JAPAROV elected president in first round; percent of vote - Sadyr JAPAROV (Mekenchil) 79.2%, Adakhan MADUMAROV (United Kyrgyzstan) 6.8%, other 14% 2017: Sooronbay JEENBEKOV elected president; Sooronbay JEENBEKOV (Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan) 54.7%, Omurbek BABANOV (independent) 33.8%, Adakhan MADUMAROV (United Kyrgyzstan) 6.6%, other 4.9% expected date of next election: 2027 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

legislature name: Supreme Council (Jogorku Kenesh) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 90 (all directly elected) electoral system: other systems scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 11/30/2025 parties elected and seats per party: Ata-Jurt Kyrgyzstan (Fatherland) (15); Ishenim (Trust) (12); Yntymak (Harmony) (9); Alyans (Alliance) (7); Butun Kyrgyzstan (United) (6); Yiman Nuru (Ray of Faith) (5); Independents (34) percentage of women in chamber: 22.2% expected date of next election: November 2030

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 25 judges); Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (consists of the chairperson, deputy chairperson, and 9 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the president; Supreme Court judges serve for 10 years, Constitutional Court judges serve for 15 years; mandatory retirement at age 70 for judges of both courts subordinate courts: Higher Court of Arbitration; oblast (provincial) and city courts

history: previous 1993, 2007, 2010; latest approved by referendum in 2021 amendment process: proposed as a draft law by the majority of the Supreme Council membership or by petition of 300,000 voters; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Council membership in each of at least three readings of the draft two months apart; the draft may be submitted to a referendum if approved by two thirds of the Council membership; adoption requires the signature of the president

ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEU, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EITI (compliant country), FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

3% of GDP (2024 est.) 3.5% of GDP (2023 est.) 3% of GDP (2022 est.) 2.8% of GDP (2021 est.) 3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic: Land Forces (Kygyz Army), Air Defense Forces (Kyrgyz Air Force), National Guard of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic Ministry of Internal Affairs: Internal Security Service State Committee for National Security: Border Guard Service (2025) note: the National Guard s missions include counterterrorism, responding to emergencies, and the protection of government facilities

18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary service for men in the Armed Forces or Interior Ministry; 12-month service obligation (9 months for university graduates), with optional fee-based 3-year service in the call-up mobilization reserve; women may volunteer at age 19; 16-17 years of age for military cadets, who cannot take part in military operations (2025)

the Kyrgyz military s primary responsibility is defense of the country s sovereignty and territory, although it also has some internal security duties; the military also participates in UN and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) peacekeeping missions, as well as bilateral and multinational exercises; particular issues of concern include border security and terrorism; the military s closest security partner is Russia, which provides training and material assistance, and maintains a presence in the country, including an airbase; the military also conducts training with other regional countries such as India, traditionally with a focus on counterterrorism Kyrgyzstan has been a member of CSTO since 1994 and contributes troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force; it also started a relationship with NATO in 1992 and joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1994 (2025)

$50.907 billion (2024 est.) $46.686 billion (2023 est.) $42.826 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$7,000 (2024 est.) $6,600 (2023 est.) $6,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

9% (2024 est.) 9% (2023 est.) 9% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

10.8% (2023 est.) 13.9% (2022 est.) 11.9% (2021 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

40.5% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$3.628 billion (2022 est.) $3.292 billion (2021 est.) $2.435 billion (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$10.655 billion (2022 est.) $5.928 billion (2021 est.) $4.051 billion (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

3.3% (2024 est.) 4% (2023 est.) 4.1% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $4.84 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $4.452 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, lumber, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals

milk, potatoes, maize, sugar beets, wheat, barley, tomatoes, onions, watermelons, carrots/turnips (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 6,219,751 (2025 est.) male: 3,043,940 female: 3,175,811

0.75% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 29.1% (male 922,086/female 873,245) 15-64 years: 64% (male 1,935,200/female 2,013,733) 65 years and over: 6.9% (2024 est.) (male 164,032/female 263,805)

18.26 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.99 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-4.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 72.9 years (2024 est.) male: 68.9 years female: 77.2 years

urban population: 37.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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.)

Kyrgyz (state language) 71.4%, Uzbek 14.4%, Russian (official language) 9%, other 5.2% (2009 est.) major-language sample(s): Дүйнөлүк фактылар китеби, негизги маалыматтын маанилүү булагы. (Kyrgyz) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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

abundant hydropower; gold, rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc

US-designated foreign terrorist groups such as the Islamic Jihad Union, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan Province have operated in the area where the Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Tajik borders converge and ill-defined and porous borders allow for the relatively free movement of people and illicit goods

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Kyrgyzstan remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/kyrgyz-republic/

refugees: 25,413 (2024 est.) IDPs: 12 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 925 (2024 est.)

28 (2025)

total: 424 km (2022) broad gauge: 424 km (2018) 1.520-m gauge

total subscriptions: 7.72 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 89% (2023 est.)