Tajikistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Afghanistan. It has a population of approximately 9.5 million people and its capital and largest city is Dushanbe.

Tajikistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and has since been working to establish a stable, democratic government and market economy. The country has faced several challenges, including a civil war in the 1990s, natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, and political and economic instability.

The economy of Tajikistan is heavily reliant on agriculture and remittances from Tajiks working abroad, particularly in Russia. The country also has significant mineral resources, including gold, silver, and aluminum, but these industries have yet to reach their full potential due to lack of investment and infrastructure.

Tajikistan has a rich cultural heritage, with influences from Persian, Islamic, and Soviet traditions. Its official language is Tajik, which is a variety of Persian, and Russian is widely spoken as a second language. The majority of the population follows Sunni Islam, and there are also small Christian and Hindu minorities.

Tajikistan has made progress in improving access to education and healthcare, and has also prioritized the development of infrastructure such as roads and hydropower plants. However, challenges remain in addressing poverty, corruption, and political stability.

Telephone Code
992

Local Emergency Phone
3

Vaccinations
See WHO recommendations. On 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; Tajikistan is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine.

Climate
Mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains

Currency (Code)
Tajikistani somoni (TJS)

Electricity/Voltage/Plug Type(s)
220 V / 50 Hz / plug types(s): C, F

Major Languages
Tajik, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Russian

Major Religions
Muslim 98% (Sunni 95%, Shia 3%), other 2%

Potable Water
Opt for bottled water

International Driving Permit
Suggested

Road Driving Side
Right

Tourist Destinations
Dushanbe; Pamir Highway; Jisev Valley Hiking; Iskanderkul Lake; Murghab; Bulunkul & Yashilkul Lakes Trekking

Major Sports
Baseball, soccer, basketball, golf, softball

Cultural Practices
Best not to use your left hand for exchanges of money, gifts, shaking hands, or passing food. The use of ones left hand is considered unclean.

Tipping Guidelines
It is standard to tip a bellhop $1 (USD) per bag; although not expected, tipping the hotel cleaning staff is appropriate. Taxi drivers do not expect tips.

Souvenirs
Arabic words worked into jewelry, musical instruments, utensils, and small sculptures; carved furniture; hand-woven carpets; brocade fabric items; gold-embroidered rumol belts, toki kallapush scullcaps, and other items; dried apricots; Soviet-era memorabilia

Traditional Cuisine
Qurutob — dried balls of cheese are soaked in water and the resulting salty liquid is used as the base of the dish; strips of flatbread are placed on top and the mixture is usually topped with a variety of vegetables, meat, or garnished with chili peppers

Geography
Area
total: 144,100 sq km
land: 141,510 sq km
water: 2,590 sq km

Climate
mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains

Natural resources
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold

People and Society
Population
9,245,937 (2023 est.)

Ethnic groups
Tajik 84.3% (includes Pamiri and Yagnobi), Uzbek 13.8%, other 2% (includes Kyrgyz, Russian, Turkmen, Tatar, Arab) (2014 est.)

Languages
Tajik (official) 84.4%, Uzbek 11.9%, Kyrgyz 0.8%, Russian 0.5%, other 2.4% (2010 est.)

Religions
Muslim 98% (Sunni 95%, Shia 3%) other 2% (2014 est.)

Population growth rate
1.36% (2023 est.)

Government
Government type
presidential republic

Capital
name: Dushanbe

Economy
Economic overview
lower middle-income Central Asian economy; key gold, cotton, and aluminum exporter; declining poverty; sustained high growth; very limited private sector; substantial illicit drug trade; significant remittances; environmentally fragile

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$38.058 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita
$3,900 (2021 est.)

Agricultural products
milk, potatoes, wheat, watermelons, onions, tomatoes, vegetables, cotton, carrots/turnips, beef

Industries
aluminum, cement, coal, gold, silver, antimony, textile, vegetable oil

Exports
$2.161 billion (2021 est.)

Exports - partners
Turkey 24%, Switzerland 22%, Uzbekistan 16%, Kazakhstan 12%, China 10% (2019)

Exports - commodities
gold, aluminum, cotton, zinc, antimony, lead (2019)

Imports
$4.258 billion (2021 est.)

Imports - partners
China 40%, Russia 38%, Kazakhstan 19%, Uzbekistan 5% (2019)

Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, wheat, natural gas, bauxite, aircraft (2019)