Kyrgyzstan's population increased from 2.1 million to 4.8 million between the censuses of 1959 and 1999.[2] Official estimates set the population at 6,389,500 in 2019.[1] Of those, 34.4% are under the age of 15 and 6.2% are over the age of 65. The country is rural: only about one-third of Kyrgyzstan's population live in urban areas. The average population density is 27.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (71/sq mi).
The nation's largest ethnic group are the Kyrgyz, a Turkic people, which comprise 73.2% of the population (2018 census). Other ethnic groups include Russians (5.8%) concentrated in the north and Uzbeks (14.5%) living in the south. Small but noticeable minorities include Dungans (1.1%), Uyghurs (1.1%), Tajiks (0.9%), Kazakhs (0.7%) and Ukrainians (0.5%), and other smaller ethnic minorities (1.7%). Of the formerly sizable Volga German community, exiled here by Joseph Stalin from their earlier homes in the Volga German Republic, most have returned to Germany, and only a few small groups remain. A small percentage of the population are also Koreans, who are the descendants of the Koreans deported in 1937 from the Soviet Far East to Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan has undergone a pronounced change in its ethnic composition since independence.[3][4] The percentage of ethnic Kyrgyz increased from around 50% in 1979 to nearly 73% in 2018, while the percentage of Slavic ethnic groups (Russians, Ukrainians) dropped from 35% to about 6%.[1][2]
The Kyrgyz have historically been semi-nomadic herders, living in round tents called yurts and tending sheep, horses and yaks. This nomadic tradition continues to function seasonally (see transhumance) as herding families return to the high mountain pasture (or jailoo) in the summer. The retention of this nomadic heritage and the freedoms that it implies continue to affect the political atmosphere in the country.
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Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Data refer to annual average population.):[6]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
3 265 870
3 314 296
6 580 166
100
0–4
413 265
392 172
805 437
12.24
5–9
388 796
369 309
758 105
11.52
10–14
309 396
297 034
606 430
9.22
15–19
258 649
249 178
507 827
7.72
20–24
263 240
252 719
515 959
7.84
25–29
289 819
279 117
568 936
8.65
30–34
282 674
281 432
564 106
8.57
35–39
222 715
220 855
443 570
6.74
40–44
180 015
182 328
362 343
5.51
45–49
157 253
167 537
324 790
4.94
50–54
142 981
156 499
299 480
4.55
55–59
129 553
149 093
278 646
4.23
60–64
99 239
121 193
220 432
3.35
65-69
59 174
80 206
139 380
2.12
70-74
33 247
50 398
83 645
1.27
75-79
13 209
21 957
35 166
0.53
80-84
13 189
25 642
38 831
0.59
85-89
4 822
10 280
15 102
0.23
90-94
3 131
5 305
8 436
0.13
95-99
1 127
1 459
2 586
0.04
100+
376
583
959
0.01
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
1 111 457
1 058 515
2 169 972
32.98
15–64
2 026 138
2 059 951
4 086 089
62.10
65+
128 275
195 830
324 105
4.93
Vital statistics
Births and deaths
Statistics are taken from the United Nations Demographic Yearbook, the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the Demographic Annual of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Demoskop Weekly.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
During the Soviet era, fertility in Kyrgyzstan was high (TFR 4 or higher). After the independence there was a fast decrease to 2.4 in the beginning of the 21st century, but the TFR increased to 3 or higher as of 2010. Since 2020, there is a decrease to 2.8 in 2022.
Life expectancy in Kyrgyzstan since 1950Life expectancy in Kyrgyzstan since 1960 by gender
Ethnic groups
According to the 2022 census,[14] the ethnic composition of the population was as follows: Kyrgyz 77.6%, Uzbeks 14.2%, Russians 4.1%, Dungans 1.0%, Uyghurs 0.5%, other 2.7%, including Tajiks 0.9%, Kazakhs 0.4% and Turks 0.3%. Most Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Germans, and Koreans lived in northeast, especially around the city of Karakol. Most of the Dungans and Uyghurs are found along the Chinese border. Most of the Tajiks and Uzbeks live in and around Fergana valley.
Percentage of Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan by region
Percentage of Russians in Kyrgyzstan by region
Percentage of Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan by region
The emigration of non-Turkic people to Russia, Ukraine, and Germany is now negligible, in part because most of them left prior to 1999.[citation needed] For example, the number of Germans has fallen by over 90% between the 1989 and 2009 censuses.
The table shows the ethnic composition of Kyrgyzstan's population according to all population censuses between 1926 and 2022. Due to emigration (and low fertility rates), there has been a sharp decline in the European ethnic groups (Russians, Ukrainians, Germans) and also Tatars since independence (as captured in the 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2022 censuses).
Population of Kyrgyzstan according to ethnic group 1926–2022
Sunni Islam is the predominant religious denomination in Kyrgyzstan. The country has a significant Christian minority which Russian Orthodox is the main denomination.
^5.01.00.16 Справочные данные по населению [Table 5.01.00.16 Population reference data] (XLS). National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan (in Russian). 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2016."Table 5.01.00.05 Number of live births"(XLS). National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
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