{{Short description|Country in Central Asia}}
{{About|the country|the political party|Kyrgyzstan (political party)}}
{{Redirect|Kirghizia|the former Soviet republic|Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = {{nowrap|Kyrgyz Republic}}
| common_name = Kyrgyzstan
| native_name = {{ubl|{{native name|ky| Кыргыз Республикасы|italics=off}}|{{native name|ru|Кыргызская Республика|italics=off}}}}
| image_flag = Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg
| image_coat = Emblem of Kyrgyzstan.svg
| symbol_type = Emblem
| motto =
| national_anthem =
{{native name|ky|Кыргыз Республикасынын Мамлекеттик гимни|italic=no|nolink=yes}}
Kyrgyz Respublikasynyn Mamlekettik gimni
"[[State Anthem of the Kyrgyz Republic]]"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:National Anthem of Kyrgyzstan.ogg]]}}
| image_map = {{switcher|[[File:Kyrgyzstan (orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Kyrgyzstan.gif|frameless]]|Show map of Kyrgyzstan}}
| map_caption =
| capital = [[Bishkek]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|42|52|N|74|36|E|type:city}}
| largest_city = capital
| official_languages = {{hlist|[[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]] (state)
[[Russian language|Russian]] (official)[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan's Constitution of 2010 with Amendments through 2016 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Kyrgyz_Republic_2016.pdf?lang=en |access-date=2 September 2020 |website=Constitute Project}}]}}
| languages_type = [[Writing system|Official script]]
| languages = [[Cyrillic Script|Cyrillic]]
| ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list
| 77.8% [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]]
| 14.3% [[Uzbeks]]
| 3.7% [[Russians in Kyrgyzstan|Russians]]
| 1.0% [[Dungan people|Dungans]]
| 0.9% [[Tajiks]]
| 2.3% [[Demographics of Kyrgyzstan#Ethnic groups|Others]]
}}
| ethnic_groups_ref = [{{Cite web | url=https://stat.gov.kg/media/publicationarchive/39773166-274e-481f-ad3e-1d28bae7c9d6.doc | title=203-2025 Статистический ежегодник кыргызской республики | language=ru | trans-title=2023-2025 Statistical Yearbook of the Kyrgyz Republic | website=stat.gov.kg}}]
| ethnic_groups_year = 2026
| religion = {{ubl|91% [[Islam in Kyrgyzstan|Islam]]
| 8% [[Christianity in Kyrgyzstan|Christianity]]
| 1% [[Religion in Kyrgyzstan|Others]]}}
| religion_ref = [{{Cite web |title=2026 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kyrgyz Republic |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2026-report-on-international-religious-freedom/kyrgyzstan/ |access-date=2026-01-25 |website=United States Department of State}}]
| demonym = [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] • [[Kyrgyzstani]]
| government_type = Unitary [[presidential republic]]
| leader_title1 = [[President of Kyrgyzstan|President]]
| leader_name1 = [[Sadyr Japarov]]
| leader_title2 = [[Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2 = [[Adylbek Kasymaliev]]
| leader_title3 = [[List of speakers of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan|Speaker]]
| leader_name3 = [[Marlen Mamataliev]]
| legislature = [[Supreme Council (Kyrgyzstan)|Supreme Council]]
| sovereignty_type = [[History of Kyrgyzstan|Formation]]
| established_event1 = [[Kyrgyz Khaganate]]
| established_date1 = 840
| established_event2 = [[Kara-Kyrgyz Khanate]]
| established_date2 = 1842–1867
| established_event3 = [[Russian Empire#Territorial development|Annexed by the Russian Empire]]
| established_date3 = 1876
| established_event4 = [[Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast|Kara-Kirghiz AO]]
| established_date4 = 14 October 1924
| established_event5 = [[Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (1926–1936)|Kirghiz ASSR]]
| established_date5 = 11 February 1926
| established_event6 = [[Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic|Kirghiz SSR]]
| established_date6 = 5 December 1936
| established_event7 = [[Socialist Republic of Kyrgyzstan|Sovereignty declared]]
| established_date7 = 30 December 1990
| established_event8 = [[Independence Day (Kyrgyzstan)|Independence declared from USSR]]
| established_date8 = 31 August 1991
| established_event9 = [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Independence recognized]]
| established_date9 = {{nowrap|26 December 1991}}
| established_event10 = [[Constitution of Kyrgyzstan|Current constitution]]
| established_date10 = 11 April 2021
| area_km2 = 200,105
| area_footnote = [{{cite web | url=https://www.vb.kg/doc/424615_bezyslovno_eto_pobeda_ploshad_kyrgyzstana_dostigla_20_mln_gektarov.html | title=Безусловно, это победа! Площадь Кыргызстана достигла 20 млн гектаров | date=18 November 2022 }}]
| area_rank = 85th
| percent_water = 3.6
| population_estimate = 7.5 million[{{Cite web |title=Statistics of the Kyrgyz Republic |url=https://stat.gov.kg/ru/statistics/download/operational/769/ |website=National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic}}]
| population_estimate_year = 2026
| population_estimate_rank = 107th
| population_density_km2 = 37
| population_density_sq_mi = 97
| population_density_rank = 109th
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $64.110 billion[{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2025: Edition (Kyrgyzstan) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2025/10/14/world-economic-outlook-october-2025 |website=Imf.org |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]].14 October 2025. |access-date=5 November 2025 |language=en}}]
| GDP_PPP_year = 2025
| GDP_PPP_rank = 128th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $8,870[{{cite web |title=National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, October 2025: Edition (Kyrgyzstan) |url=https://stat.gov.kg/ru/news/po-itogam-2025-goda-rost-vvp-sostavil-111-procenta |website=stat.gov.kg |publisher=[[National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic]].19 January 2026. |access-date=19 January 2026 |language=ru}}]
| GDP_nominal_year = 2025
| GDP_nominal_rank = 126th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $2,930[{{cite web |title=National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, January 2026: Edition (Kyrgyzstan) |url=https://stat.gov.kg/ru/news/po-itogam-2025-goda-rost-vvp-sostavil-111-procenta |website=stat.gov.kg |publisher=[[National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic]].19 January 2026. |access-date=19 January 2026 |language=ru}}]
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 139th
| Gini = 26.4
| Gini_year = 2022
| Gini_change = decrease
| Gini_ref = [{{Cite web |title=GINI index (World Bank estimate) – Kyrgyz Republic |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=KG&name_desc=false |access-date=26 September 2022 |website=data.worldbank.org |publisher=[[World Bank]]}}]
| HDI_year = 2023
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI = 0.720
| HDI_ref = [{{Cite web |date= 26 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2023/2024 |url= https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/KGZ|access-date=25 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}]
| HDI_rank = 117th
| currency = [[Kyrgyzstani som]] (c)
| currency_code = KGS
| time_zone = [[Kyrgyzstan Time|KGT]]
| utc_offset = +6
| time_zone_DST =
| date_format = dd/mm/yyyy
| drives_on = right
| calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in Kyrgyzstan|+996]]
| iso3166code = KG
| cctld = [[.kg]]
| common_languages = [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]][{{cite web |url=https://cia.gov |title=Kyrgyzstan: People and Society – Languages |website=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |quote=Languages: Kyrgyz (state language) 71.4%, Uzbek 14.4%, Russian (official language) 9%}}]
| religion_year = 2026
| area_water_km2 = 7198
| today =
}}
'''Kyrgyzstan''',{{efn|{{bulleted list|{{langx|ky|Кыргызстан|Kyrgyzstan}}, {{IPA|ky|qɯrʁɯːˈstɑn|pron|LL-Q9255 (kir)-Almanbet Janışev-Кыргызстан.wav}};|{{langx|ru|Кыргызстан|Kyrgyzstan}}, {{IPA|ru|kɨrɡɨˈstan|pron|ru-Кыргызстан.ogg}}.}}}} officially the '''Kyrgyz Republic''', formerly known as '''Kirghizia''',{{efn|Since 5 May 1993.{{bulleted list|{{langx|ky|Кыргыз Республикасы|Kyrgyz Respublikasy|links=no}};|{{langx|ru|Кыргызская Республика|Kyrgyzskaya Respublika|links=no}}.}}}}[Article 1 of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic states: "1. Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Republic)...". {{Cite web |title=2021–жылдын 5-майындагы Кыргыз Республикасынын Конституциясы (2021–жылдын 11-апрелиндеги референдумда (бүткүл элдик добуш берүүдө) кабыл алынган|url=http://cbd.minjust.gov.kg/act/view/ky-kg/112213?cl=ky-kg}}] is a [[landlocked country]] located in [[Central Asia]], lying in the [[Tian Shan]] and [[Pamir Mountains|Pamir]] mountain ranges. It is bordered by [[Kazakhstan]] to the [[Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border|north]], [[Uzbekistan]] to the [[Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan border|west]], [[Tajikistan]] to the [[Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border|south]], and [[China]] to the [[China–Kyrgyzstan border|east and southeast]].[{{Cite web |title=Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic |url=https://cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=131962 |access-date=31 December 2021 |website=CIS Legislation }}][{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan Constitution |url=https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/Kyrgyzstan%20Constitution.pdf |access-date=31 December 2021 |website=Constitution Net }}][{{Cite web |title=Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic |url=https://www.legislationline.org/download/id/3116/file/Kyrgyz%20Constitution%20-%20adopted%20by%20referendum%2027%20Jun2010_f_EN.pdf |access-date=31 December 2021 |website=Legislationline |archive-date=21 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121065839/https://www.legislationline.org/download/id/3116/file/Kyrgyz%20Constitution%20-%20adopted%20by%20referendum%2027%20Jun2010_f_EN.pdf |url-status=dead }}] The capital and [[List of cities in Kyrgyzstan|largest city]] is [[Bishkek]] which lies on the northern border with Kazakhstan. Ethnic [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] make up the majority of the 7.5 million people, followed by significant minorities of [[Uzbeks]] and [[Russians]].[{{Cite web |title=Total population by nationality – Open Data – Statistics of the Kyrgyz Republic |url=https://www.stat.gov.kg/en/opendata/category/312/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic}}]
[[History of Kyrgyzstan|Kyrgyzstan's history]] spans a variety of cultures and empires. Although geographically isolated by its highly mountainous terrain, Kyrgyzstan has been at the crossroads of several civilizations as part of the [[Silk Road]] along with other commercial routes. Inhabited by a succession of tribes and clans, Kyrgyzstan has periodically fallen under larger domination, e.g., the [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] [[nomads]] who trace their ancestry to many Turkic states. It was first established as the [[Yenisei Kyrgyz Khaganate|Yenisei Kyrgyz Khaganate]]. In the 13th century it was conquered by the [[Mongol Empire]] and under several [[List of Mongol states|Mongol dynasties]]; it regained independence but was invaded by the [[Dzungar Khanate]]. After the [[Dzungar genocide]] by the [[Qing dynasty]], Kyrgyz and [[Kipchaks]] were an integral part of the [[Kokand Khanate]].
In 1876, Kyrgyzstan became part of the [[Russian Empire]], and in 1936 the [[Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic]] was formed to become a constituent republic of the [[Soviet Union]]. Following [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]'s democratic reforms in the USSR, in 1990 pro-independence candidate [[Askar Akayev]] was elected president. On 31 August 1991, Kyrgyzstan declared independence from the [[USSR]], and a democratic government was established. Kyrgyzstan attained sovereignty as a nation state after the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|breakup of the Soviet Union]] in 1991.
[[File:Tien Shan Mountains Kyrgyzstan - 45 (48682959382).jpg|thumb|Tian Shan Mountains in East Kyrgyzstan]] After independence, Kyrgyzstan was officially a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[presidential republic]]. Following the [[Tulip Revolution]] it became a [[unitary parliamentary republic]]; however, it gradually developed an executive president and was governed as a [[semi-presidential republic]] before reverting to a presidential system in 2021. Throughout its existence, the country has continued to endure ethnic conflicts,[{{Cite news |date=12 May 2011 |title=Investigating Kyrgyzstan's ethnic violence: Bloody business |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2011/05/12/bloody-business |access-date=26 March 2013}}][{{Cite news |date=15 June 2011 |title=Foreigners in Kyrgyzstan: 'Will We Be Banned, Too?' |work=Eurasianet |publisher=EurasiaNet.org |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/63678 |access-date=26 March 2013}}] revolts,[{{Cite web |date=6 October 2020 |title=Pro-Government Election Victory Sparks Overnight Revolution in Kyrgyzstan |work=OCCRP |url=https://www.occrp.org/en/the-matraimov-kingdom/pro-government-election-victory-sparks-overnight-revolution-in-kyrgyzstan |access-date=10 November 2020 }}] economic troubles,[{{Cite web |date=20 December 1998 |title=Kyrgyzstan: Economy globalEDGE: Your source for Global Business Knowledge |url=http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/Kyrgyzstan/economy |access-date=26 March 2013 |publisher=Globaledge.msu.edu}}] transitional governments[{{Cite web |date=10 October 2012 |title=BBC News – Kyrgyzstan profile – Timeline |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16185772 |access-date=26 March 2013 |publisher=BBC}}] and political conflict.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyz Unrest |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/taxonomy/term/2813 |access-date=26 March 2013 |publisher=EurasiaNet.org}}]
Kyrgyzstan is a member of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]], the [[Eurasian Economic Union]], the [[Collective Security Treaty Organization]], the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]], the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]], the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]], the [[Organization of Turkic States]], the [[Türksoy]] community, and the United Nations. It is a [[developing country]] ranked 117th in the [[Human Development Index]]. The [[transition economy]] relies mainly on re-exporting Chinese goods and gold production. The country balances its international trade commitments as a [[World Trade Organization]] member since 1998 with regional integration through the [[Eurasian Economic Union]], which it joined in 2015, and a delegation of parliamentarians sit at the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]].[ {{Cite web | url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/un-agenda-2030/goal-16 | title=16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels | website=Coe.int}}]
==Etymology==
There are many theories about the origin of the word ''Kyrgyz''. One proposed etymology is that it means "forty tribes",[{{cite journal |jstor=41927731|author=Pulleyblank, E. G.|title=The Name of the Kirghiz|year=1990|journal=Central Asiatic Journal|volume=34|issue=1/2|pages=98–108|issn=0008-9192|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41927731|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117153726/https://www.jstor.org/stable/41927731|archive-date=2021-01-17}}] which may refer to the 40 clans of [[Epic of Manas|Manas]], a legendary hero who united regional clans. The [[Persian language|Persian]] ''suffix [[-Stan]]'' means "place of".[{{cite web |url=https://www.worldtranslationcenter.com/languages/kyrgyz/kyrgyz-translation |title=World Translation Center |website=worldtranslationcenter.com |access-date=2025-06-08}}]
The 40-ray sun on the [[flag of Kyrgyzstan]] is a reference to those same 40 tribes and the graphical element in the sun's center depicts the wooden crown, called tunduk, of a [[yurt]]—a portable dwelling traditionally used by nomads in the [[Eurasian Steppe|steppes of Central Asia]].
The official name is ''Kyrgyz Republic'', used in international arenas and foreign relations.[{{Cite web |date=5 July 2018 |title=Canada – Kyrgyz Republic Relations |work=GAC |url=http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/kazakhstan/bilateral_relations_bilaterales/canada_kyrgyz-kirghizie.aspx?lang=eng |access-date=20 September 2018 |publisher=Canadainternational.gc.ca |last1=Canada |first1=Global Affairs }}][{{Cite web |date=26 October 2016 |title=The World Bank in the Kyrgyz Republic |url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/kyrgyzrepublic |access-date=20 September 2018 |publisher=Worldbank.org}}] In the English-speaking world, the spelling ''Kyrgyzstan'' is commonly used, while its former name ''Kirghizia''{{efn|{{langx|ru|Киргизия|Kirgiziya}}, {{IPA|ru|kʲɪrˈɡʲizʲɪjə|pron|ru-Киргизия.ogg}}.[{{Cite web |last= |date=22 February 2018 |title=Vladimir Putin to meet with Azerbaijani delegation |url=https://news.az/articles/politics/129214 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308041738/https://news.az/articles/politics/129214 |archive-date=8 March 2018 |access-date=6 October 2020 |website=News.Az}}]
==History==
{{Main|History of Kyrgyzstan}}
===Early history===
[[File:Sary_-_Kamysh,_Kyrgyz_Republic_petroglyphs.jpg|thumb|Petroglyphs of local [[Urial|sheep]], Sary Kamysh]]
The [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] state reached its greatest expansion after defeating the [[Uyghur Khaganate]] in 840 AD.[{{Cite news |date=12 June 2010 |title=Kyrgyzstan timeline |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16185772}}] From the 10th century, the Kyrgyz migrated as far as the [[Tian Shan]] range and maintained their dominance over the territory for about 200 years.
There is a storytelling tradition of the ''[[Epic of Manas]]'', which involves a warrior who unified all of the scattered tribes into a single nation in the 9th century. The trilogy, an element of the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List]], expresses the memory of the nomadic Kyrgyz people.[{{Cite web |title=Browse the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of good safeguarding practices |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=unesco.org}}]
In the 12th century, the Kyrgyz dominion had shrunk to the [[Altay Mountains|Altay]] range and [[Sayan Mountains]] as a result of the [[Proto-Mongols|Mongol expansion]]. With the rise of the [[Mongol Empire]] in the 13th century, the Kyrgyz migrated south. The Kyrgyz peacefully became a part of the Mongol Empire in 1207. [[Issyk-Kul]] Lake was a stopover on the [[Silk Road]], a land route for traders, merchants, and other travelers from the [[Far East]] to Europe.
Kyrgyz tribes were overrun in the 17th century by the Mongols, in the mid-18th century by the [[Manchu people|Manchu]]-led [[Qing dynasty]] of China, and in the early 19th century by the Uzbek [[Khanate of Kokand]].[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan – Mongol Domination |url=https://countrystudies.us/kyrgyzstan/2.htm |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=countrystudies.us}}] In 1842, the Kyrgyz tribes broke away from Kokand and united into the [[Kara-Kyrgyz Khanate]], led by [[Ormon Khan]]. Following Ormon's death in 1854, the khanate disintegrated.[{{Cite book |last=Osmonov |first=Oskon Dzhusupbekovich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3KWqAQAACAAJ |title=A History of Kyrgyzstan: From Stone Age to the Present |publisher=Sarybaev TT |year=2016 |isbn=978-9967-04-680-1 |edition=2 |location=Bishkek |access-date=3 October 2022}}]
===Russian conquest===
[[File:Turgan Berdike-úlu.jpg|thumb|Turgan Berdike-úlu, first Kyrgyz traveler to Europe - 1906]]
In the late 19th century, the much of the [[Issyk-Kul Region]] was ceded to the [[Russian Empire]] by Qing China through the [[Treaty of Tarbagatai]].[{{Cite web |title=Chinese Empire. |url=https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~29863~1140598:Chinese-Empire- |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Davidrumsey.com}}] The territory, known in Russian as "Kirghizia", was formally incorporated into the [[Russian Empire]] in 1876. The Russian takeover was met with numerous revolts, and many of the Kyrgyz opted to relocate to the [[Pamir Mountains]] and Afghanistan.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}
The suppression of the [[Central Asian revolt of 1916|1916 rebellion]] against Russian rule in Central Asia caused many Kyrgyz to migrate to China.[{{Cite web |title=Uzbekistan – The Jadidists and Basmachis |url=https://countrystudies.us/uzbekistan/10.htm |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=countrystudies.us}}] Since many ethnic groups in the region were, and still are, split between neighboring states at a time when borders were more porous and less regulated, it was common to move back and forth over the mountains, depending on where life was perceived as better; this might mean better rains for pasture or better government during oppression.{{cn|date=November 2025}}
===Soviet Kyrgyzstan===
Soviet power was initially established in the region in 1919, and the [[Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast|Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Oblast]] was created within the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]]. The phrase Kara-Kirghiz was used until the mid-1920s by the Russians to distinguish them from the [[Kazakhs]], who were also referred to as Kirghiz. On 5 December 1936, the [[Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic]] was established as a constituent [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Union Republic]] of the [[Soviet Union]].{{efn|The Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic was initially part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic as the Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic before being elevated to a full Union Republic on 5 December 1936.[{{cite encyclopedia|title=Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kyrgyzstan/Kyrgyzstan-in-the-Soviet-Union |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2025-06-10}}]}}
[[File:Caravanserai Tash Rabat on Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Tash Rabat]], a silk road [[caravansarai]] used during the [[Islamic Golden Age]]]]After the [[Russian Civil War]], the period of the [[New Economic Policy]] began, which lasted roughly to 1928.[{{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Alun |title=Nomads and Soviet Rule: Central Asia under Lenin and Stalin |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |year=2019 |isbn=978-1350143685 |edition=Paperback}}] The [[Bolsheviks]] made an effort to establish a standardized tax system, with higher taxes for nomads to discourage the wandering livelihood, and they divided the Central Asia region into five nation-states.[{{Cite book |last=Stolberg |first=Eva-Maria |url=https://www.hsozkult.de/publicationreview/id/reb-7534 |title=Book review – Edgar, Adrienne Lynn: Tribal Nation. The Making of Soviet Turkmenistan, Princeton 2004: Princeton University Press |year=2004 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691117751 |access-date=2022-12-09}}][{{Cite book |last=Edgar |first=Adrienne |url=http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/rezensionen/2005-4-012 |title=Tribal Nation |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-691-11775-1 |location=Princeton, NJ |page=296}}] Kyrgyzstan developed considerably in cultural, educational, and social life, literacy was greatly improved. Economic and social development also was notable.[{{Cite journal |last=Shelestyuk |first=Elena |date=4 November 2019 |title=National in Form, Socialist in Content: USSR National and Language Policies in the Early Period |url=https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/abs/2019/10/shsconf_cildiah2019_00104/shsconf_cildiah2019_00104.html |journal=SHS Web of Conferences |volume=69 |pages=00104 |doi=10.1051/shsconf/20196900104 |s2cid=211378423 |via=Shs-conferences.org |doi-access=free |issn=2261-2424 |archive-date=17 July 2021 |access-date=17 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717090538/https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/abs/2019/10/shsconf_cildiah2019_00104/shsconf_cildiah2019_00104.html |url-status=dead }}] In a region that did not previously know national institutions or consciousness, the process of nation-building was, from the indigenous perspective, a difficult and ambivalent one.[{{Cite news |date=17 June 2015 |title=1929 |work=Seventeen Moments in Soviet History |url=http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1929-2/ |access-date=2018-03-25 |archive-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129163734/https://soviethistory.msu.edu/1929-2/ |url-status=dead }}] Because of the plan's reliance on rapidity, major economic and cultural changes had to occur, which led to conflicts. In Kyrgyzstan, Russian settlers acquired the best pasture land, creating much hardship for most of its original inhabitants, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and [[Turkmens|Turkmen]] nomads, who were also forced to settle down on soil that did not have enough agricultural potential.[{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Kyrgyz people |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kyrgyz-people |date=2 May 2025 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica}}] The changes caused unrest, and between 1928 and 1932 nomads and peasants made it clear through methods like passive resistance that they did not agree with these policies, in the Kirgiziya area also guerrilla opposition occurred.[{{cite journal |url=https://journals.openedition.org/asiecentrale/3259?lang=en |title="And Our Words Must be Constructive!" On the Discordances of Glasnost' in the Central Asian Press at a Time of Conflict1 |author=Mandeline Reeves |journal=Cahiers d'Asie Centrale |date=2016 |issue=26 |pages=77–110 |access-date=2025-05-19 |language=fr,en}}] However, the Republic's press was permitted to adopt a more liberal stance and to establish a publication, ''Literaturny Kirghizstan'', by the [[Union of Soviet Writers|Union of Writers]]. Unofficial political groups were forbidden, but several groups that emerged in 1989 to deal with the acute housing crisis were permitted to function.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan (08/06) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/kyrgyzstan/74182.htm |access-date=2026-07-16 |website=U.S. Department of State}}]
According to the last Soviet census in 1989, ethnic Kyrgyz made up only 22% of the residents of the northern city of Frunze (now [[Bishkek]]), while more than 60% were Russians, Ukrainians, and people from other [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] nations. Nearly 10% of the city's population were Jewish (very unusual in the Soviet Union, the [[Jewish Autonomous Oblast]] being an exception).
In June 1990, ethnic tensions between [[Uzbeks]] and Kyrgyz surfaced in the [[Osh Region]] (southern Kyrgyzstan), where Uzbeks form a minority of the population.[{{Cite news |date=15 February 2006 |title=KYRGYZSTAN: Economic disparities driving inter-ethnic conflict |publisher=[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]] Asia |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=33728}}] The tensions between Kyrgyzs and Uzbeks in Osis led to 186 deaths.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan |url=https://communistcrimes.org/en/countries/kyrgyzstan |access-date=2020-11-24 |website=Kyrgyzstan {{!}} Communist Crimes}}] Attempts to appropriate Uzbek collective farms for housing development triggered the [[1990 Osh clashes|Osh Riots]]. A state of emergency and curfew were introduced["[http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav012506.shtml Ethnic Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan Voice Complaints Over Discrimination, Corruption] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614193258/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav012506.shtml |date=14 June 2010 }}". EurasiaNet.org. 24 January 2006.] and [[Askar Akayev]], the youngest of five sons born into a family of collective farm workers (in northern Kyrgyzstan), was elected president in October 1990. By then, the [[Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan|Kyrgyzstan Democratic Movement]] had developed into a significant political force with support in Parliament. On 15 December 1990, the Supreme Soviet voted to change the republic's name to the ''Republic of Kyrgyzstan''. In January 1991, Akayev introduced new government structures and appointed a new cabinet composed mainly of younger, reform-oriented politicians. In February the name of the capital was changed back to its pre-revolutionary name of Bishkek.[{{Cite web |last=Refugees |first=United Nations High Commissioner for |title=Refworld {{!}} Chronology for Russians in Kyrgyzstan |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/469f38b01e.html |access-date=2021-01-05 |website=Refworld}}]
Despite these political moves toward independence, economic realities seemed to work against secession from the Soviet Union. In a [[1991 Soviet Union referendum|referendum on the preservation of the Soviet Union]] in March 1991, 88.7% of voters approved retaining the Soviet Union as a "renewed federation".[1] Nevertheless, on 31 August 1991, the [[Supreme Council (Kyrgyzstan)|Supreme Council of the Kyrgyz Republic]] adopted the Declaration of State Independence, establishing Kyrgyzstan as an independent state.[{{Cite web |title=August 31 Is Independence Day of Kyrgyzstan |url=https://pacsto.org/events/31-avgusta-v-kyrgyzstane-otmechaetsya-den-nezavisimosti |access-date=16 July 2026 |website=Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization}}]
On 19 August 1991, when the [[State Committee on the State of Emergency|State Emergency Committee]] assumed power in Moscow, there was an attempt to depose Akayev in Kyrgyzstan. After the coup collapsed the following week, Akayev and Vice President [[German Kuznetsov]] announced their resignations from the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (CPSU), and the entire bureau and secretariat resigned. This was followed by the Supreme Soviet vote declaring independence from the Soviet Union on 31 August 1991 as the ''Republic of Kyrgyzstan''.[{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Kyrgyzstan |last1=Sinor |first1=Denis |last2=Allworth |first2=Edward|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kyrgyzstan |date=16 August 2025|encyclopedia =Encyclopedia Britannica}}] According to a 2013 [[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] poll, 62% of Kyrgyz people say that the collapse of the Soviet Union harmed their country, while only 16% said that the collapse benefitted it.[{{Cite web |last1=Esipova |first1=Neli |last2=Ray |first2=Julie |date=19 December 2013 |title=Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/166538/former-soviet-countries-harm-breakup.aspx |website=[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]]}}]
===Independence===
[[File:Stamps of Kyrgyzstan, 2011-05.jpg|thumb|Wild sheep, [[urial]], on a Kyrgyzstan stamp]]In October 1991, Akayev ran unopposed and was elected president of the new independent republic by direct ballot, receiving 95 percent of the votes cast. Together with representatives of seven other republics that same month, he signed the [[Treaty of the Economic Community]]. On 8 December the leaders of three out of four Soviet Union's founding republics (Russia, Belarus and Ukraine) signed the [[Belavezha Accords]], denouncing the [[Treaty on the Creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Union Treaty of 1922]], declaring that the Soviet Union would cease to exist and proclaimed the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] in its place.[{{Cite web |first1=Kavitha |last1=Surana |first2=Ruby |last2=Mellen |title=The Last Days of the Soviet Union |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/slideshow/the-last-days-of-the-soviet-union/ |access-date=2022-12-10 |website=Foreign Policy |date=22 December 2016}}]
On 21 December Kyrgyzstan{{efn|Kyrgyzstan declared independence from the Soviet Union on 31 August 1991, following a vote by its Supreme Soviet.[{{cite web |url=https://www.stamps.kg/news/25th-anniversary-of-the-independence-of-kyrgyzstan |title=25th Anniversary of the Independence of Kyrgyzstan |publisher=Kyrgyz Express Post |access-date=2025-06-11}}]}} agreed with the other four Central Asian Republics (Tajikistan,{{efn|Tajikistan declared independence from the Soviet Union on 9 September 1991, by decision of its Supreme Soviet.[{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/news/september-9-tajikistan-declared-independence-from-the-soviet-union-in-1991/videoshow/65733030.cms |title=September 9: Tajikistan declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 |publisher=Times of India |access-date=2025-06-11}}]}} [[Turkmenistan]],{{efn|Turkmenistan declared independence from the Soviet Union on 27 October 1991, following a unanimous vote in its Supreme Council.[{{cite web |url=https://ipn.md/en/turkmenistan-declared-independence-27-october-1991-7967_1072919.html |title=Turkmenistan declared independence on 27 October 1991 |publisher=IPN Moldova |access-date=2025-06-11 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}]}} Uzbekistan,{{efn|Uzbekistan declared independence on 31 August 1991, and the decision was confirmed by a law passed the same day.[{{cite web |url=https://ipn.md/en/uzbekistan-declared-independence-31-august-1991-7968_1072920.html |title=Uzbekistan declared independence on 31 August 1991 |publisher=IPN Moldova |access-date=2025-06-11 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}]}} and Kazakhstan{{efn|Kazakhstan declared independence on 16 December 1991, becoming the last Soviet republic to do so.[{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kazakhstan/History |title=History of Kazakhstan |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2025-06-11}}]}}) to the [[Alma-Ata Protocol]], formally entering the commonwealth with [[Armenia]],{{efn|Armenia declared independence on 21 September 1991, confirmed by a nationwide referendum held on the same day.[{{cite web |url=https://ipn.md/en/armenia-1991-independence-referendum-resulted-in-overwhelming-vote-for-sovereignty-7965_1072917.html |title=Armenia 1991 Independence Referendum Resulted in Overwhelming Vote for Sovereignty |publisher=IPN Moldova |access-date=2025-06-11 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}]}} [[Azerbaijan]],{{efn|Azerbaijan declared independence on 30 August 1991, through a resolution adopted by its Supreme Soviet.[{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Azerbaijan/History |title=History of Azerbaijan |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2025-06-11}}]}} [[Moldova]],{{efn|Moldova declared independence on 27 August 1991, through a vote of its parliament following the failed Soviet coup.[{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Moldova/History |title=History of Moldova |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2025-06-11}}]}} and [[Ukraine]].{{efn|Ukraine declared independence on 24 August 1991; this was confirmed by over 90% of voters in a national referendum on 1 December 1991.[{{cite web |url=https://ipn.md/en/ukraine-1991-independence-referendum-7972_1072922.html |title=Ukraine 1991 Independence Referendum |publisher=IPN Moldova |access-date=2025-06-11 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}]}} Kyrgyzstan gained full independence on 25 December 1991. On 26 December the Soviet Union ceased to exist. In 1992, Kyrgyzstan joined the United Nations and the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]]. On 5 May 1993, the official name changed from the ''Republic of Kyrgyzstan'' to the ''Kyrgyz Republic'' following the adoption of the [[Constitution of Kyrgyzstan]].[{{cite book |last1=Czerewacz-Filipowicz |first1=Katarzyna |last2=Konopelko |first2=Agnieszka |title=Regional Integration Processes in the Commonwealth of Independent States: Economic and Political Factors |date=26 November 2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-47563-9 |page=103 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbedDQAAQBAJ}}] Kyrgyzstan celebrates its Independence Day annually on 31 August, the anniversary of its declaration of independence in 1991.[[https://minurso.unmissions.org/minurso%E2%80%99s-peacekeepers-national-day-kyrgyzstan MINURSO'S PEACEKEEPERS: NATIONAL DAY OF KYRGYZSTAN]{{Dead link|date=August 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} 31 August 2024. United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara]
=== 21st century ===
==== 2000–2009 ====
In February and March 2005, parliamentary elections were held, which the opposition and international observers criticized for alleged irregularities. Widespread protests erupted, leading to the ousting of President Askar Akayev, who fled the country and resigned in April. This series of events became known as the [[Tulip Revolution]]. Subsequently, [[Kurmanbek Bakiyev]], a former prime minister and opposition leader, assumed the presidency after winning the July 2005 presidential election with a significant majority.[{{Cite news |title=A tulip revolution |url=https://www.economist.com/unknown/2005/03/24/a-tulip-revolution |access-date=2025-04-01 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}][Marat E. ''The Tulip Revolution: Kyrgyzstan one year after.'' The Jamestown Foundation, Washington DC][{{Cite news |date=14 August 2005 |title=Bakiev sworn in as Kyrgyz leader |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4150084.stm |access-date=2025-04-01}}]
After assuming office, President Bakiyev faced challenges including political unrest and demands for constitutional reforms. In 2006 and 2007, large-scale protests occurred with citizens calling for a reduction in presidential powers and increased governmental transparency. In response, Bakiyev implemented constitutional amendments and appointed opposition figures to key positions. Despite these measures, tensions persisted throughout his tenure.[{{Cite web |title=Stratfor: The World's Leading Geopolitical Intelligence Platform |url=https://worldview.stratfor.com:443/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=worldview.stratfor.com}}][{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan: Utility Price Hike Squeezes Citizens |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav020810.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012062753/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav020810.shtml |archive-date=12 October 2017 |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=EurasiaNet.org |url-status=live }}]
In 2009, Bakiyev announced the eviction of the U.S. military from the [[Transit Center at Manas|Manas Air Base]], a strategic transit center supporting [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|operations in Afghanistan]].[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan – The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/countries/kyrgyzstan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008094219/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/countries/kyrgyzstan |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 October 2022 |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Cia.gov}}] The Manas Air Base, hosting approximately 1,000 U.S. military personnel since 2001, served as a crucial staging post for coalition forces in Afghanistan.[{{Cite news |last=Harding |first=Luke |date=4 February 2009 |title=Kyrgyzstan to close key US military airbase |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/04/kyrgyzstan-us-base-afghanistan |access-date=2025-05-19 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}]
==== 2010–2019 ====
In April 2010, widespread protests erupted against Bakiyev's administration, driven by public discontent over corruption and rising energy prices. These demonstrations [[2010 Kyrgyz Revolution|culminated in Bakiyev's ousting]] and the establishment of a provisional government led by [[Roza Otunbayeva]]. In June violent ethnic clashes occurred in the southern cities of [[Osh]] and [[Jalal-Abad]] between Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities, resulting in over 400 deaths and displacing thousands.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan: Freedom in the World 2019 Country Report |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/kyrgyzstan/freedom-world/2019 |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Freedom House}}][{{Cite web |last=Society |first=The Oxus |date=13 January 2021 |title=Ten Years Gone: The Legacy of the 2010 Revolution and Ethnic Violence in Kyrgyzstan: A Roundtable – The Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs |url=https://oxussociety.org/ten-years-gone-the-legacy-of-the-2010-revolution-and-ethnic-violence-in-kyrgyzstan-a-roundtable/ |access-date=2025-04-01}}] Following these events, a referendum was held in June to adopt a new constitution aimed at reducing presidential powers and enhancing parliamentary authority. The referendum passed with approximately 90% approval and a 70% voter turnout, despite challenges posed by recent unrest. This constitution introduced a single six-year term for the president without the possibility of re-election and limited any single political party to 65 of the 120 parliamentary seats to prevent power concentration.[{{Cite web |last=guillermo |title=Kyrgyzstan: Central Asia's Island of Democracy Sinks Into Authoritarianism – Foreign Policy Research Institute |url=https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/04/kyrgyzstan-central-asias-island-of-democracy-sinks-into-authoritarianism/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Fpri.org}}][{{Cite news |date=10 October 2024 |title=Au Kirghizistan, la condamnation de journalistes et militants anticorruption confirme le tournant autoritaire du régime |trans-title=In Kyrgyzstan, the conviction of journalists and anti-corruption activists confirms the authoritarian shift of the regime |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2024/10/10/au-kirghizistan-la-condamnation-de-journalistes-et-militants-anticorruption-confirme-le-tournant-autoritaire-du-regime_6348415_3210.html |access-date=2025-04-01 |language=fr}}][{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sign deal to end long-running border dispute|last1=Turgunbayeva |first1=Aigerim |last2=Gordeyeva |first2=Mariya |website=[[Reuters]] |date=13 March 2025 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-sign-deal-end-long-running-border-dispute-2025-03-13/}}]
Following his election, Japarov initiated a series of constitutional reforms aimed at shifting the country's governance structure from a parliamentary to a presidential system. A [[2021 Kyrgyz government system referendum|referendum in January 2021]] approved these changes, granting the president expanded powers, including the authority to appoint judges and diminishing the role of parliament. Critics labeled the new constitution the "Khanstitution", expressing concerns over the potential for authoritarian rule.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan's president dismisses prime minister |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kyrgyzstans-president-dismisses-prime-minister-ria-reports-2024-12-16/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=[[Reuters]]|date=16 December 2024 }}]
The period also witnessed increased pressure on independent media and civil society organizations. In 2024, the government implemented measures to intimidate and silence journalists and critics. The [[Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan|Supreme Court]] ordered the closure of a leading investigative media outlet, sentencing two journalists to prison terms and placing two others on probation for their reporting. Additionally, a "[[foreign agent|foreign representatives]]" law came into effect in April 2024, imposing strict government oversight on NGOs receiving foreign funding.[{{cite web |publisher=Human Rights Watch |title=Kyrgyzstan: Events of 2024 |date=16 January 2025 |url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/kyrgyzstan |access-date=2025-04-01}}][{{Cite news |last=Pikulicka-Wilczewska |first=Agnieszka |date=28 October 2024 |title='They want to show no one can escape': how the long arm of Russia is reaching out for Putin critics in exile |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/oct/28/long-arm-russia-putin-critics-in-exile |access-date=2025-04-01 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}][{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyz court finds four journalists guilty of inciting unrest |website=[[Reuters]] |date=10 October 2024 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kyrgyz-court-finds-four-journalists-guilty-inciting-unrest-2024-10-10/}}]
Kyrgyzstan's longstanding border disputes with neighboring Tajikistan escalated into violent clashes, notably around the town of [[Batken]] in 2021 and 2022, culminating in a six-day conflict in September 2022. In March 2025, Presidents Japarov and [[Emomali Rahmon]] of Tajikistan signed an agreement to demarcate their shared border, aiming to resolve the territorial conflicts and reopen transportation links that had been closed since the 2022 clashes.[
In December 2024, President Japarov dismissed [[Akylbek Japarov|Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov]], who had served since 2021, citing a transfer to another position. [[Adylbek Kasymaliev|First Deputy Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliyev]] was appointed as acting prime minister.][{{Cite web |last=Escobar |first=Pepe |date=26 March 2005 |title=The Tulip Revolution takes root |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/GC26Ag03.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050327033351/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/GC26Ag03.html |archive-date=27 March 2005 |publisher=Asia Times Online}}] with the remainder made up of valleys and basins.
[[File:Kyrgyzstan.png|thumb|upright=1.5|A map of Kyrgyzstan]]
[[Issyk-Kul Lake]], or Ysyk-Köl in [[Kyrgyz Language|Kyrgyz]], in the north-eastern Tian Shan is the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan and the second largest mountain lake in the world after [[Titicaca]]. The [[Kara Darya]] (Karadar'ya) river at 132 meters is the lowest point, and the highest peaks are in the [[Kakshaal Too]] range, forming the Chinese border. [[Jengish Chokusu]] at {{convert|7439|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} is the highest point and is considered by geologists to be the northernmost peak over {{convert|7000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in the world. Heavy snowfall in winter leads to spring floods which often cause serious damage downstream. The runoff from the mountains is also used for [[hydro-electricity]]. Kyrgyzstan has significant deposits of metals including gold and [[rare-earth metals]]. With predominantly mountainous terrain, less than 8% of the land is cultivated, and this is concentrated in the northern lowlands and the fringes of the [[Fergana Valley]].
Bishkek is the capital and largest city, with 1,321,900 inhabitants ({{As of|2025|lc=y}}). The second largest city is Osh, located in the [[Fergana Valley]] near the border with Uzbekistan. The principal river is the Kara Darya, which flows west through the Fergana Valley into Uzbekistan. Across the border in Uzbekistan it meets the [[Naryn (river)|Naryn]]. The confluence forms the [[Syr Darya]], which originally flowed into the [[Aral Sea]]. {{As of|2010}}, it no longer reaches the sea, as its water is withdrawn upstream to irrigate cotton fields in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and southern Kazakhstan. The [[Chu (river)|Chu River]] also briefly flows through Kyrgyzstan before entering Kazakhstan.
Kyrgyzstan contains seven terrestrial ecosystems: [[Tian Shan montane conifer forests]], [[Alai-Western Tian Shan steppe]], [[Gissaro-Alai open woodlands]], [[Tian Shan foothill arid steppe]], [[Pamir alpine desert and tundra]], [[Tian Shan montane steppe and meadows]], and [[Central Asian northern desert]].[{{Cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |display-authors=1 |year=2017 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |pages=534–545 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |issn=0006-3568 |pmc=5451287 |pmid=28608869 |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad}}] It has a 2019 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 8.86/10, ranking it 13th globally out of 172 countries.[{{Cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H. S. |last2=Duncan |first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T. D. |last4=Jones |first4=K. R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H. L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray |first8=J. C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H. M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P. R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |display-authors=1 |year=2020 |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=5978 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |doi-access=free|issn=2041-1723 |pmc=7723057 |pmid=33293507 |last16=Franco |first16=P. |last17=Goldman |first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W. F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N. J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C. |last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J. E. M.}}]
===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Kyrgyzstan}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map KGZ present.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Kyrgyzstan map of Köppen climate classification]]
The climate varies regionally. The low-lying Fergana Valley in the southwest is extremely hot in summer, with temperatures reaching {{convert|40|°C}}. The northern foothills are [[temperate climate|temperate]], and the Tian Shan varies from dry [[continental climate|continental]] to [[polar climate]], depending on elevation. In the coldest areas, winter temperatures drop below freezing for approximately 40 days, and even some [[desert]] areas experience constant snowfall during this period. In the lowlands the temperature ranges from around {{convert|-6|°C|0}} in January to {{convert|24|°C|0}} in July.
==== Glaciers and climate change ====
{{Excerpt|Climate change in Kyrgyzstan}}
===Enclaves and exclaves===
[[Barak, Kyrgyzstan|Barak]][[http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav060603.shtml# The exclave of Barak, Kyrgyzstan in Uzbekistan]. Retrieved on 2 May 2009] (population 627) in the Fergana Valley is an exclave. The village is surrounded by Uzbek territory. It is located on the road from [[Osh]] (Kyrgyzstan) to Khodjaabad (Uzbekistan) about {{convert|4|km|0|abbr=off}} north-west from the [[Kyrgyz–Uzbek border]] in the direction of [[Andijan]].[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan |url=http://geosite.jankrogh.com/kyrgyzstan.htm |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=geosite.jankrogh.com}}] Barak is administratively part of [[Kara-Suu District]] in Kyrgyzstan's Osh Region.
There are four Uzbek enclaves within Kyrgyzstan. Two of them are the towns of [[Sokh District|Sokh]], with an area of {{convert|325|km2|abbr=on}} and a population of 42,800 in 1993, although some estimates go as high as 70,000 (99% are [[Tajik people|Tajiks]], the remainder Uzbeks); and [[Shohimardon|Shakhimardan]] (also known as Shahimardan, Shohimardon, or Shah-i-Mardan), with an area of {{convert|90|km2|abbr=on}} and a population of 5,100 in 1993; 91% are Uzbeks, and the remaining 9% are Kyrgyz; the other two are the tiny territories of Chong-Kara (roughly {{convert|3|km|0|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|1|km|1|abbr=on}} wide) and Jangy-ayyl (a dot of land barely {{convert|2|-|3|km|0|abbr=on}} across). Chong-Kara is on the [[Sokh river]], between the Uzbek border and the Sokh enclave. Jangy-ayyl is about {{convert|60|km}} east of Batken, in a northward projection of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border near [[Khalmion]].{{cn|date=November 2025}}
There are also two enclaves belonging to Tajikistan on the [[Kyrgyz-Tajik border]]: [[Vorukh]], and [[Lolazor, Jabbor Rasulov District|Lolazor]]. Vorukh has an area between {{convert|95|-|130|km2|abbr=on}}, and a population estimated between 23,000 and 29,000, 95% Tajiks and 5% Kyrgyz. It is distributed among 17 villages and is located around {{convert|45|km}} south of [[Isfara]] on the right bank of the river [[Karavshin]]. Lolazor (Western Qalacha or Kayragach) is a small settlement near the Kyrgyz railway station of [[Kairagach]].{{cn|date=November 2025}}
==Government and politics==
{{Main|Government of Kyrgyzstan|Politics of Kyrgyzstan|Foreign relations of Kyrgyzstan}}
=== Political system ===
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2025}}
{{Multiple image
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| caption1 = [[Sadyr Japarov]]
[[President of Kyrgyzstan|President]]
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| image2 = Adylbek Kasymaliev (2024-14-05).jpg
| caption2 = [[Adylbek Kasymaliev]]
[[Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan|Prime Minister]]
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[[File:White House in Bishkek.jpg|thumb|[[Supreme Council (Kyrgyzstan)|Supreme Council]] building in Bishkek, house of the [[Unicameralism|unicameral parliament]]. View from the north-west side (facade from the south)]]
[[File:Kyrgyz women parliamentarians.jpg|thumb|Kyrgyz women parliamentarians, 2016]]
The 1993 constitution defines the form of government as a democratic [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] republic. The executive branch includes a president and prime minister. The parliament currently is unicameral. The judicial branch comprises a supreme court, local courts and a chief prosecutor.
In March 2002, in the southern district of [[Aksy]], five people protesting the [[arbitrary arrest and detention|arbitrary arrest]] of an opposition politician were shot dead by police, sparking nationwide protests. President Askar Akayev initiated a constitutional reform process which initially included the participation of a broad range of government, civil and social representatives in an open dialogue, leading to a February 2003 referendum marred by voting irregularities.
The amendments to the constitution approved by the referendum resulted in stronger control by the president and weakened the parliament and the Constitutional Court. Parliamentary elections for a new, 75-seat unicameral legislature were widely viewed as corrupt. The subsequent protests led to a bloodless coup on 24 March 2005, after which Akayev fled the country with his family and was replaced by acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
In July 2005, Bakiyev won the [[2005 Kyrgyz presidential election|presidential election]] in a landslide with 88.9% of the vote. However, initial public support for his administration substantially declined in subsequent months as a result of its apparent inability to solve the corruption problems that had plagued the country since its independence from the Soviet Union, along with the murders of several members of parliament. Large-scale protests against Bakiyev took place in Bishkek in April and November 2006, with opposition leaders accusing the president of failing to live up to his election promises to reform the country's constitution and transfer many of his presidential powers to parliament.[{{Cite news |date=7 November 2006 |title=Clashes erupt in Kyrgyz capital |work=BBC Online |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6124428.stm |access-date=21 November 2007}}]
Kyrgyzstan is a member of the [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (OSCE), a league of 57 participating states committed to peace, transparency, and the protection of human rights in Eurasia. As an OSCE participating state, Kyrgyzstan's international commitments are subject to monitoring under the mandate of the [[U.S. Helsinki Commission]].
In December 2008, the state-owned broadcast [[Kyrgyz Television|KTRK]] announced that it would require prior submission of [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] programmes, which KTRK are required to retransmit according to a 2005 agreement.[{{Cite web |date=17 December 2008 |title=Refworld {{pipe}} Demand for prior approval of RFE/RL programmes called "intolerable" |url=http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?page=search&docid=494b629e1e&skip=0&query=radio%20liberty%20kyrgyzstan |access-date=17 April 2010 |publisher=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees}}] KTRK had stopped retransmitting RFE/RL programming in October 2008, a week after it failed to broadcast an RFE/RL programme called ''Inconvenient Questions'' which covered the October elections, claiming to have lost the missing material. Bakiyev had criticised this programme in September, while KTRK told RFE/RL that its programming was too negative. [[Reporters Without Borders]], which ranks Kyrgyzstan 111th out of 173 countries on its [[Press Freedom Index]], strongly criticised the decision.
In February 2009 Bakiyev announced the imminent closure of the [[Manas Air Base]], the only US military base remaining in Central Asia.[{{Cite news |date=4 February 2009 |title=Proposal to close the Manas Air Base |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7868586.stm |access-date=2 May 2010}}] The closure was approved by Parliament by a vote of 78–1.[{{Cite web |date=15 October 2020 |title=Kyrgyzstan's president steps down amid political unrest |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/kyrgyzstan-president-resigns-unrest |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Associated Press}}] However, after much behind-the-scenes negotiation between Kyrgyz, Russian and American diplomats, the decision was reversed. The Americans were allowed to remain under a new contract, whereby rent would increase from $17.4 million to $60 million annually.[{{Cite news |last1=Schwirtz |first1=Michael |last2=Levy |first2=Clifford J. |date=23 June 2009 |title=In Reversal, Kyrgyzstan Won't Close a U.S. Base |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/world/asia/24base.html?scp=24&sq=manas&st=cse |access-date=2025-05-19 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}] The US military fully withdrew from Manas Air Base in 2014.
[[File:SCO summit (2018-06-10) 7.jpg|thumb|President Jeenbekov at the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]] summit in China, June 2018]]
Kyrgyzstan is among the 50 countries in the world with the highest perceived level of corruption: the 2025 [[Corruption Perception Index]] is 26 on a scale of 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt).[{{Cite web |date=19 June 2026 |title=2025 official table |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2025 |access-date=19 June 2026 }}]
In the [[2010 Kyrgyz Revolution]], Bakiyev and his relatives—including his son [[Maxim Bakiyev|Maksim]][{{Cite web |title=Maksim Bakiyev tracked not only in Bishkek, but also in the States? |url=http://enews.fergananews.com/articles/2788 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927195021/http://enews.fergananews.com/articles/2788 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Fergananews.Com |url-status=live }}] and brother [[Janish Bakiyev|Janish]]—were forced to flee to Kazakhstan and then sought asylum in Belarus. Roza Otunbayeva, who was appointed interim president, announced that she did not intend to run for the [[2011 Kyrgyz presidential election|presidential elections in 2011]]. The election was won by Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev, leader of the [[Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan|Social Democratic Party]]. [[Omurbek Babanov]] was appointed prime minister.[{{Cite news |date=December 2011 |title=New Kyrgyz President Atambayev pledges 'new page' |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-15980862}}]
In 2015, Kyrgyzstan became a full-fledged member of the [[Eurasian Economic Union]] after it formally abolished customs controls along its border with Kazakhstan. Other members are the former Soviet republics Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia.
[[File:2023 Moscow Victory Day Parade 01.jpg|thumb|left|President Japarov (right) with [[Vladimir Putin]] and other post-Soviet leaders at the [[2023 Moscow Victory Day Parade]][{{Cite news |date=10 May 2023 |title=Central Asian Presidents Join Putin for May 9 Victory Day Parade |work=The Diplomat |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/05/central-asian-presidents-join-putin-for-may-9-victory-day-parade/}}]]]
In October 2017, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, a former prime minister backed by incumbent Almazbek Atambayev, was elected president.[{{Cite news |date=15 October 2017 |title=Kyrgyzstan election: Sooronbay Jeenbekov wins historic election |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41625540}}] In foreign policy he saw the [[Kremlin]] as the country's "main strategic partner" and China as an "important strategic and trade partner", but he intended to seek more collaborative bilateral ties with European partners.[{{Cite web |date=28 November 2017 |title=New Kyrgyz President Vows Balanced Foreign Policy With Russia As Main 'Strategic Partner' |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-jeenbekov-vows-balanced-foreign-policy-russia-strategic-partner/28883735.html |access-date=2022-12-10 |website=Radio Free Europe – Radio Liberty}}] On 7 August 2019, the Special Forces of Kyrgyzstan launched an operation against the residence of former President Almazbek Atambayev, supposedly based on charges of corruption made against him.[{{Cite web |last=Putz |first=Catherine |date=8 August 2019 |title=Former Kyrgyz President Detained After Second Raid |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/former-kyrgyz-president-detained-after-second-raid/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=The Diplomat}}][{{Cite news |last=Leonid |first=Bershidsky |date=8 August 2019 |title=A Bloody Raid Shows Why Post-Soviet Leaders Hate to Hand Off Power |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/08/08/a-bloody-raid-shows-why-post-soviet-leaders-hate-to-hand-off-power-a66777 |access-date=2025-05-19 |work=[[The Moscow Times]]}}] In a meeting of the [[Security Council of Kyrgyzstan|Security Council]], Jeenbekov accused Atambayev of violating the constitution.[{{Cite news |date=8 August 2019 |title=Kyrgyzstan's former president detained after violent clashes |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/08/kyrgyzstan-ex-president-almazbek-atambayev}}] In October 2020, Jeenbekov resigned after protests caused by irregularities in [[2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election|the parliamentary elections]].[{{Cite news |date=15 October 2020 |title=Kyrgyzstan election: President Jeenbekov resigns after protests |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54553173}}] In January 2021, Sadyr Japarov was elected president after winning the [[2021 Kyrgyz presidential election|presidential election]] by a landslide.[{{Cite news |date=11 January 2021 |title=Kyrgyzstan election: Sadyr Japarov wins presidency with landslide |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55613552}}] In April 2021, the majority of voters approved a [[2021 Kyrgyz constitutional referendum|constitutional referendum]] which grants additional powers president, significantly strengthening the presidency.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/11/kyrgyzstan-voters-back-presidential-rule-in-referendum|title=Kyrgyzstan voters back presidential rule in referendum|website=Aljazeera}}]
===Administrative divisions===
Kyrgyzstan is divided into seven [[Regions of Kyrgyzstan|regions]] ({{langx|ky|облустар}}). The regions are subdivided into 44 [[Districts of Kyrgyzstan|districts]] ({{langx|ky|аймактар}}, {{lang|ky-latn|ajmaktar}};). The districts are further subdivided into rural districts at the lowest level of administration, which include all rural settlements ({{langx|ky|айыл өкмөтү|ayıl ökmötü}}) and villages without an associated municipal government.
{{anchor|special status cities}}The cities of Bishkek and Osh have status "state importance" and do not belong to any region.
Each region is headed by an akim (regional governor) appointed by the president. District akims are appointed by regional akims.
{{Kyrgyzstan Regions Image Map}}
The regions, and independent cities, are as follows, with subdivisions:
# [[Bishkek|City of Bishkek]]
## [[Lenin District, Bishkek|Lenin District]]
## [[Oktyabr District, Bishkek|Oktyabr District]]
## [[Birinchi May District, Bishkek|Birinchi Maj District]]
## [[Sverdlov District, Bishkek|Sverdlov District]]
# [[Batken Region]]
## [[Batken District]]
## [[Kadamjay District]]
## [[Leylek District]]
# [[Chüy Region]]
## [[Alamüdün District]]
## [[Chüy District|Chüj District]]
## [[Jayyl District|Jayıl District]]
## [[Kemin District]]
## [[Moskva District, Kyrgyzstan|Moskva District]]
## [[Panfilov District, Kyrgyzstan|Panfilov District]]
## [[Sokuluk District]]
## [[Ysyk-Ata District]]
# [[Jalal-Abad Region]]
## [[Aksy District]]
## [[Ala-Buka District]]
## [[Bazar-Korgon District]]
## [[Chatkal District]]
## [[Nooken District]]
## [[Suzak District]]
## [[Toguz-Toro District]]
## [[Toktogul District]]
# [[Naryn Region]]
## [[Ak-Talaa District]]
## [[At-Bashy District]]
## [[Jumgal District]]
## [[Kochkor District]]
## [[Naryn District]]
# [[Osh Region]]
## [[Alay District]]
## [[Aravan District]]
## [[Chong-Alay District]]
## [[Kara-Kulja District]]
## [[Kara-Suu District]]
## [[Nookat District]]
## [[Özgön District]]
# [[Talas Region]]
## [[Bakay-Ata District]]
## [[Aitmatov District|Aytmatov District]]
## [[Manas District]]
## [[Talas District, Kyrgyzstan|Talas District]]
# [[Issyk-Kul Region|Ysyk-Köl Region]]
## [[Ak-Suu District]]
## [[Issyk-Kul District|Ysyk-Köl District]]
## [[Jeti-Ögüz District]]
## [[Tong District]]
## [[Tüp District]]
# [[Osh|City of Osh]]
===Military===
[[File:Multinational forces participate in Regional Cooperation 12 Exercise -06.JPG|thumb|Kyrgyz soldiers conducting mine sweeping exercises]]
The [[Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic|Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan]] were formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and consist of the [[Kyrgyz Army|Land Forces]], [[Kyrgyz Air Force|Air Forces]], [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Kyrgyzstan)|internal troops]], [[National Guard (Kyrgyzstan)|National Guard]], and the [[State Border Guard Service of Kyrgyzstan|border guard]]. The military works with the [[US Armed Forces]], which leased a facility named the [[Transit Center at Manas]] at Manas International Airport near Bishkek until 2014.[{{Cite web |last=Vandiver |first=John |date=5 February 2014 |title=First troops move through new US transit point in Romania |url=http://www.stripes.com/news/first-troops-move-through-new-us-transit-point-in-romania-1.265698 |access-date=5 February 2014 |website=Stripes.com |publisher=Stars and Stripes}}] In recent years, the armed forces have developed relations with Russia including signing modernization deals worth $1.1bn and participating in exercises with Russian troops.[{{Cite news |last=Ott |first=Stephanie |date=18 September 2014 |title=Russia tightens control over Kyrgyzstan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/russia-tightens-control-over-kyrgyzstan |access-date=2025-05-19 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}] The Agency of National Security works with the military and serves similar purposes to its Soviet predecessor, the [[KGB]]. It oversees an elite counterterrorism special forces unit known as "Alfa", the same name used by other former Soviet countries, including Russia and Uzbekistan. The police are commanded by the Ministry of the Interior Affairs, along with the border guard.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan {{!}} OSCE POLIS |url=https://polis.osce.org/country-profiles/kyrgyzstan |access-date=2021-01-05 |website=polis.[[osce.org]] |archive-date=21 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621130922/https://polis.osce.org/country-profiles/kyrgyzstan |url-status=dead }}]
===Human rights===
{{main|Human rights in Kyrgyzstan}}
Kyrgyzstan is classified as a "[[hybrid regime]]" in the [[Democracy Index]], ranking 107th out of 167 for 2020.[{{Cite news |date=2 February 2021 |title=Global democracy has a very bad year |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/02/02/global-democracy-has-a-very-bad-year}}] It was ranked "not free" in the 2026 [[Freedom in the World]] report with a score of 25/100.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan: Freedom in the World 2026 Country Report |url=https://freedomhouse.org/explore-the-map?type=fiw&find-country=find-country&year=2026&country=KGZ |access-date=2026-06-19 |website=Freedom House}}] After the installation of a more democratic government, many human rights violations still take place. In a move that alarmed human-rights groups, dozens of prominent Uzbek religious and community leaders were arrested by security forces following the [[2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes|2010 South Kyrgyzstan riots]], including journalist and human-rights activist [[Azimzhan Askarov]], who was sentenced to life in prison in 2010.[{{Cite news |date=16 September 2010 |title=Human rights groups condemn Kyrgyzstan activist jailing |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11326361}}][{{Cite news |last=Kramer, Andrew E. |date=1 July 2010 |title=Uzbeks Accused of Inciting Violence in Kyrgyzstan |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/world/asia/02kyrgyzstan.html?scp=1&sq=askarov&st=cse |access-date=16 April 2011}}]
A law banning women under age 23 from traveling abroad without a parent or guardian, with the purpose of "increased morality and preservation of the gene pool" passed in the Parliament in 2013.[{{Cite news |date=28 March 2014 |title=Kyrgyzstan Passes Controversial Girl Travel Ban |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67113 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Eurasianet.org}}] American diplomats expressed concern in 2014 when Kyrgyzstan lawmakers passed a law that imposes jail terms on [[LGBT rights in Kyrgyzstan|gay-rights activists]] and others, including journalists, who create "a positive attitude toward non-traditional sexual relations".[{{Cite news |last=Trilling |first=David |date=16 October 2014 |title=Kyrgyzstan moves towards adoption of Russia's anti-gay law |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/16/kyrgyzstan-moves-towards-adoption-russia-anti-gay-law |access-date=2025-05-19 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}] In 2024, the independent investigative media organization [[Kloop]] was ordered shut down by the Kyrgyz courts. This move drew criticism within the country and abroad.[{{cite news |last1=Pannier |first1=Bruce |title=Kloop's Closure: A Bad Omen For Independent Kyrgyz Media? |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/majlis-podcast-kyrgyzstan-kloop-closure/32824634.html |access-date=18 February 2024 |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=18 February 2024}}][{{cite web |title=Independent Media Under Attack in Kyrgyzstan as Court Shuts Down OCCRP Member Center Kloop Media |url=https://www.occrp.org/en/40-press-releases/presss-releases/18472-independent-media-under-attack-in-kyrgyzstan-as-court-shuts-down-occrp-member-center-kloop-media |website=OCCRP |publisher=Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project |access-date=18 February 2024}}]
==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Kyrgyzstan}}
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2025}}
[[File:Osh Bazar.jpg|thumb|Bazar in [[Osh]]]]
Kyrgyzstan was among the less economically developed republics of the former Soviet Union and is currently the second-lowest in terms of income levels in Central Asia, after Tajikistan. 22.4% of the country's population lives below the poverty line.[{{Cite news |date=14 June 2019 |title=Нацстатком: 22% кыргызстанцев живут за чертой бедности |language=ru |trans-title=National Statistical Committee: 22% of Kyrgyz live below the poverty line |work=Радио Азаттык [Radio Azattyk] |url=https://rus.azattyk.org/a/29998818.html/}}]
Despite the backing of major Western lenders, including the [[International Monetary Fund]], the [[World Bank]] and the [[Asian Development Bank]], Kyrgyzstan has had economic difficulties following independence. Initially, these were a result of the breakup of the Soviet trade bloc and resulting loss of markets, which impeded the republic's transition to a demand economy. The government reduced public spending, eliminated most price subsidies, and implemented a value-added tax. These measures reflected its commitment to transitioning toward a market-based economy. Through economic stabilization and structural reforms, the government aimed to promote sustained long-term growth. Reforms led to Kyrgyzstan's accession to the [[World Trade Organization]] in 1998.
The economy was severely affected by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting loss of its vast market. In 1990, some 98% of exports went to other parts of the Soviet Union. Thus, the economic performance in the early 1990s was worse than any other former Soviet republic except war-torn Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, as factories and state farms collapsed with the disappearance of their traditional markets in the former Soviet Union. While economic performance has improved considerably in the last few years, and particularly since 1998, difficulties remain in securing adequate fiscal revenues and providing an adequate [[social safety net]]. [[Remittance]]s of around 350,000 Kyrgyz migrants working in Russia contribute to the economy, however in recent years remittances have decreased.[{{Cite news |date=8 April 2010 |title=Kyrgyz unrest plays into regional rivalry |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6373KT20100408}}][{{Cite news |date=2 April 2009 |title=Kyrgyzstan: Returning Labor Migrants are a Cause for Concern |publisher=EurasiaNet.org |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/news/articles/eav040309e.shtml |url-status=dead |access-date=16 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511104050/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/news/articles/eav040309e.shtml |archive-date=11 May 2011}}] Reliance on remittances—currently about 15% of GDP—has declined from a previous high of 35%.
By the early 1990s, the [[Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan|private agricultural sector]] provided between one-third and one-half of some harvests. In 2002, agriculture accounted for 35.6% of GDP and about half of employment. The terrain is mountainous, which accommodates livestock raising, the largest agricultural activity, so the resulting wool, meat and dairy products are major commodities. Main crops include wheat, sugar beets, potatoes, cotton, tobacco, vegetables, and fruit. As the prices of imported agrichemicals and petroleum are so high, much farming is being done by hand and by horse, as it was generations ago. Agricultural processing is a key component of the industrial economy as well as one of the most attractive sectors for foreign investment.
Kyrgyzstan is rich in mineral resources but has negligible petroleum and natural gas reserves; it imports petroleum and gas. Among its mineral reserves are substantial deposits of coal, gold, [[uranium]], [[antimony]], and other valuable metals. Metallurgy is an important industry, and the government hopes to attract foreign investment in this field. The government has actively encouraged foreign involvement in extracting and processing gold from the [[Kumtor Gold Mine]] and other regions. The plentiful water resources and mountainous terrain enable it to produce and export large quantities of hydroelectric energy.
The principal exports are nonferrous metals and minerals, woollen goods and other agricultural products, electric energy and certain engineering goods. Imports include petroleum and natural gas, ferrous metals, chemicals, most machinery, wood and paper products, some foods and some construction materials. Its leading trade partners include Germany, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. After Beijing launched the [[Belt and Road Initiative]] in 2013, China has expanded its economic presence and initiated a number of sizable infrastructure projects in Kyrgyzstan.[Vakulchuk, Roman and Indra Overland (2019) "[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329310641 China's Belt and Road Initiative through the Lens of Central Asia]", in Fanny M. Cheung and Ying-yi Hong (eds) ''Regional Connection under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Prospects for Economic and Financial Cooperation''. London: Routledge, pp. 115–133.] After the 2022 [[Sanctions involving Russia|sanctions on Russia]], several regional supply routes were redirected through Kyrgyzstan, boosting the local economy.
Kyrgyzstan registered rapid economic growth over 2022–2024, averaging 9% annually in real terms. These changes highlight Kyrgyzstan's strategic importance in Central Asia and its emerging role in regional trade and infrastructure networks. Kyrgyzstan demonstrated strong macroeconomic performance between 2022 and 2024. The country maintained a fiscal surplus for two consecutive years, in 2023 and 2024, reflecting prudent public financial management and stronger-than-expected revenue collection. The government is embarking on several large infrastructure megaprojects, notably the [[Kambarata-1 Dam|Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant]] and the [[China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan International Highway|China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway]], which have the potential to significantly reshape the economic landscape.
===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in Kyrgyzstan}}
[[File:Issyk-Kulmeer.jpg|thumb|Southern shore of [[Issyk-Kul]] Lake.]]
One of the most popular tourist destination points is Issyk-Kul. Numerous hotels, resorts and boarding houses are located along its northern shore. The most popular beach zones are in [[Cholpon-Ata]] and the settlements nearby, such as Kara-Oi (Dolinka), Bosteri and Korumdy. Tourists numbered 3,658,500 in 2024.[{{cite web |title=Число посетителей (отдохнувших) |trans-title=Number of visitors (tourists) |url=https://stat.gov.kg/ru/opendata/category/2601/ |access-date=10 August 2026 |website=National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic |language=ru}}][{{cite web |date=6 July 2026 |title=How Many Tourists Visit Kyrgyzstan Each Year? |url=https://kyrgyzstanplanner.com/how-many-tourists-visit-kyrgyzstan-each-year/ |access-date=10 August 2026 |website=Kyrgyzstan Planner}}]
===Science and technology===
{{main|Science and technology in Kyrgyzstan}}
The headquarters of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences is located in Bishkek, where several research institutes are located. Researchers are developing useful technologies based on natural products, such as heavy metal remediation for purifying waste water.[{{Cite journal |last1=Yurishcheva |first1=A.A. |last2=Kydralieva |first2=K.A. |last3=Zaripova |first3=A.A. |last4=Dzhardimalieva |first4=G.I. |last5=Pomogaylo |first5=A.D. |last6=Jorobekova |first6=S.J. |year=2013 |title=Sorption of Pb2+ by magnetite coated with humic acids |journal=J. Biol. Phys. Chem. |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=61–68 |doi=10.4024/36FR12A.jbpc.13.02}}] Kyrgyzstan was ranked 96th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.[{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/kyrgyzstan |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}][{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}]
===Transport===
[[File:Bishkek 03-2016 img47 minibus at Chuy Prospekt.jpg|thumb|[[Marshrutka]] in Bishkek]]{{More citations needed section|date=November 2025}}
[[Transport in Kyrgyzstan]] is severely constrained by the country's alpine topography. Roads have to snake up steep valleys, cross passes of {{convert|3000|m|ft}} altitude and more, and are subject to frequent mudslides and snow avalanches. Winter travel is treacherous in many of the more remote and high-altitude regions.
Additional problems come from the fact that many roads and railway lines built during the Soviet period are today intersected by international boundaries, requiring time-consuming border formalities to cross where they are not completely closed. Horses are still a much-used transport option, especially in more rural areas; the road infrastructure is not extensive, so horses are able to reach locations that motor vehicles cannot, and they do not require expensive, imported fuel.
====Airports====
[[File:Bishkek 03-2016 img51 Manas Airport.jpg|thumb|[[Manas International Airport]]]]
At the end of the Soviet period there were about 50 airports and airstrips, many of them built primarily to serve military purposes in this border region so close to China. Only a few of them remain in service today. The [[Kyrgyzstan Air Company]] provides air transport to China, Russia, and other local countries.
* [[Manas International Airport]] near Bishkek is the main international airport, with services to Moscow, [[Tashkent]], [[Almaty]], [[Ürümqi]], [[Istanbul]], [[Baku]], and [[Dubai]].
* [[Osh Airport]] is the main air terminal in the south of the country, with daily connections to Bishkek, and services to Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Almaty and more international places.
* [[Jalal-Abad Airport]] is linked to Bishkek by daily flights. The national flag carrier, Kyrgyzstan, operates flights on [[BAe-146]] aircraft. During the summer months, a weekly flight links Jalal-Abad with the Issyk-Kul Region.
* Other facilities built during the Soviet era are either closed down, used only occasionally or restricted to military use (e.g., [[Kant Air Base]] near Bishkek, which is used by the [[Russian Air Force]]).
====Banned airline status====
Until 8 June 2026, Kyrgyzstan appeared on the European Union's [[List of airlines banned in the European Union|list of prohibited countries for the certification of airlines]]. This meant that no airline that was registered in Kyrgyzstan could operate services of any kind within the European Union, due to safety standards that failed to meet European regulations.[{{Cite web |title=List of banned European Union air carriers |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:102:0003:0016:EN:PDF |access-date=2 May 2010}}]
====Railways====
[[File:3ТЭ10М-1024, Кыргызстан, Чуйская область, перегон разъезд № 148 - Каямат-Куркол (Trainpix 204613).jpg|thumb|A train passing through the Chüy Valley]]
The [[Chüy Valley]] in the north and the Fergana Valley in the south were endpoints of the Soviet Union's rail system in Central Asia. Following the emergence of independent post-Soviet states, the rail lines which were built without regard for administrative boundaries have been cut by borders, and traffic is therefore severely curtailed. Limited rail lines within Kyrgyzstan, about {{convert|370|km|0|abbr=on}} ({{convert|1520|mm|1|abbr=on}} broad gauge) in total, have little economic value in the absence of the former bulk traffic over long distances to and from such centres as Tashkent, Almaty, and the cities of Russia.{{cn|date=November 2025}}
In 2022, construction began on a new 186 km extension of the existing railway from [[Balykchy]] to [[Karakeche]], primarily meant to carry coal from mines at Karakeche to Bishkek.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyz president launches construction of railway to Kara-Keche |url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/kyrgyz-president-launches-construction-of-railway-to-kara-keche/61435.article |website=Railway Gazette International}}] In June 2023, a railway between Balykchy and Bishkek was officially opened.[{{cite web |author= |date=16 June 2023 |title=Из Бишкека в Балыкчы начал курсировать пассажирский поезд |url=https://mtd.gov.kg/iz-bishkeka-v-balykchy-nachal-kursirovat-passazhirskij-poezd |website=Министерство транспорта и коммуникаций Кыргызской Республики |access-date=19 February 2025}}][{{cite web |last=Kudryavceva |first=Tatyana |date=13 June 2023 |title=Напоминаем: завтра начнет курсировать поезд Бишкек — Балыкчи |url=https://24.kg/obschestvo/296574_napominaem_zavtra_nachnet_kursirovat_poezd_bishkek_balyikchi |website=24.kg |access-date=19 February 2025}}]
The planned construction of a 523 km [[China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway]] was announced in 2022, comprising {{convert|213|km|0|abbr=on}} in China, {{convert|260|km|0|abbr=on}} in Kyrgyzstan and {{convert|50|km|0|abbr=on}} in Uzbekistan.[{{Cite web |title=Work to start next year on China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan Railway |url=http://www.railpage.com.au/news/s/work-to-start-next-year-on-china-kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan-railway |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=Railpage |archive-date=10 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610062448/http://railpage.com.au/news/s/work-to-start-next-year-on-china-kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan-railway |url-status=dead }}] The railway, conceived as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, is planned to lead from [[Kashgar]] through the [[Torugart Pass]] to Jalal-Abad, and further on to the Uzbek city of Andijan.[{{cite web |last=Yang |first=William |date=9 January 2025 |title=China aims to deepen Central Asia influence with new railway project |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/china-aims-to-deepen-central-asia-influence-with-new-railway-project/7930839.html |website=[[Voice of America]] |access-date=19 February 2025}}]
:{|
|- style="text-align:left;"
! Neighboring country !! Rail
linked? !! Rail link name !! [[Rail gauge]] notes
|-
| [[Transport in Kazakhstan|Kazakhstan]] || Yes || Bishkek branch || Same gauge
|-
| [[Transport in Uzbekistan|Uzbekistan]] || Yes || Osh branch || Same gauge
|-
| [[Transport in Tajikistan|Tajikistan]] || No || — || Same gauge
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| [[Transport in the People's Republic of China|China]] || No || — || [[Break of gauge|Gauge break]]: 1524 mm vs. 1435 mm
|}
====Highways====
[[File:Kyrgyzstan (6052094329).jpg|thumb|Highway A363 Bishkek towards Balykchy, Lake Issyk-Kul and Chinese border ([[Xinjiang]])]]
With support from the Asian Development Bank, a major road linking the north and southwest via Bishkek to Osh has recently been completed. This considerably eases communication between the two major population centres. An offshoot of this road branches off across a 3,500-meter [[mountain pass|pass]] into the [[Talas Valley]] in the northwest. Plans are being formulated to build a major road from Osh into China.
* ''total:'' {{convert|34000|km|0|abbr=on}} (including {{convert|140|km|0|abbr=on}} of expressways)
* ''paved:'' {{convert|22600|km|0|abbr=on}} (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads)
* ''unpaved:'' {{convert|7700|km|0|abbr=on}} (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
====Ports and harbours====
* Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye) on Issyk Kul Lake.
==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Kyrgyzstan}}
[[File:Pyramide Kirghizistan.PNG|thumb|upright=1.6|A [[population pyramid]] showing Kyrgyzstan's age distribution (2005)]]
[[File:Население Киргизии за 2015.png|thumb|upright=1.6|Population density (people per km2) of Kyrgyzstan, 2015[{{Cite web |title=Ethnic composition of the population in Kyrgyzstan 2015 |url=https://www.stat.gov.kg/media/publicationarchive/30c1af54-2244-4fe1-a470-4d1a88bcea8b.pdf |access-date=1 January 2015 |publisher=National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic |language=ru}}]]]
The population is estimated at 7,404,300 as of January 2026.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.stat.gov.kg/media/publicationarchive/f19500c4-16f5-48b6-aa1c-972cbec4f3fd.pdf|title=СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОЕ ПОЛОЖЕНИЕ КЫРГЫЗСКОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ январь|website=Stat.gov.kg|access-date=11 June 2026}}] In the 2024 [[Global Hunger Index]] (GHI), Kyrgyzstan has a score of 6.8, ranking 36th among 127 countries with sufficient data. The hunger level is classified as low.[{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Globalhungerindex.org}}]
=== Urban centres ===
{{Main|List of cities in Kyrgyzstan}}
{{Largest cities
| country = Kyrgyzstan
| stat_ref = [https://stat.gov.kg/media/publicationarchive/18267309-23ec-4224-9345-434c66dfe670.pdf]
| list_by_pop =
| div_name = Region
| div_link =
|city_1 = Bishkek
|div_1 = Bishkek
|pop_1 = 1,368,600
|city_2 = Osh
|div_2 = Osh Region
|pop_2 = 488,500
|city_3 = Jalalabat
|div_3 = Jalal-Abad Region
|pop_3 = 189,202
|city_4 = Karakol
|div_4 = Issyk-Kul Region
|pop_4 = 91,524
|city_5 = Tokmok
|div_5 = Chüy Region
|pop_5 = 77,164
|city_6 = Özgön
|div_6 = Osh Region
|pop_6 = 67,003
|city_7 = Kyzyl-Kyya
|div_7 = Osh Region
|pop_7 = 66,081
|city_8 = Bazar-Qorghon
|div_8 = Jalal-Abad Region
|pop_8 = 62,694
|city_9 = Kara-Balta
|div_9 = Chüy Region
|pop_9 = 61,364
|city_10 = Kara-Suu, Kyrgyzstan{{!}}Kara-Suu
|div_10 = Osh Region
|pop_10 = 58,159
}}
=== Ethnic groups ===
The nation's largest [[ethnic group]] are the [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]], a [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] people, who comprise 77.8% of the population. Other ethnic groups include the [[Russians]] (3.7%) concentrated in the north and the Uzbeks (14.3%) living in the south. Small but noticeable minorities include the [[Dungans]] (1.0%), [[Tājik people|Tajiks]] (0.9%), [[Uyghurs]] (0.5%), Kazakhs (0.4%), and other smaller ethnic minorities.[{{Cite web |title=Statistics of the Kyrgyz Republic |url=https://stat.gov.kg/media/publicationarchive/4783e692-26f5-4dd1-9de4-e009a4b8861e.pdf |website=National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic}}] The country has over 80 ethnic groups.[{{Cite web |date=14 June 2010 |title=10 Things You Need To Know About The Ethnic Unrest In Kyrgyzstan |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/Feature10_Things_You_Need_To_Know_About_The_Ethnic_Unrest_In_Kyrgyzstan/2071323.html |publisher=RFERL}}]
The Kyrgyz have historically been semi-[[nomad]]ic herders, living in round tents called [[yurt]]s and tending sheep, horses and [[yak]]s. This nomadic tradition continues to [[Transhumance|function seasonally]] as herding families return to the high mountain pasture (or ''jailoo'') in the summer. The sedentary Uzbeks and Tajiks traditionally have farmed lower-lying irrigated land in the Fergana Valley.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan – Population |url=https://countrystudies.us/kyrgyzstan/13.htm |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=countrystudies.us}}]
Kyrgyzstan has undergone a pronounced change in its ethnic composition since independence.[{{Cite web |date=19 April 2005 |title=KYRGYZSTAN: Focus on post-Akayev Russian exodus |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=28550 |publisher=[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]] Asia}}][{{Cite journal |last=Spoorenberg |first=Thomas |year=2013 |title=Fertility changes in Central Asia since 1980 |journal=Asian Population Studies |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=50–77 |doi=10.1080/17441730.2012.752238 |s2cid=154532617}}][{{Cite journal |last=Spoorenberg |first=Thomas |year=2015 |title=Explaining recent fertility increase in Central Asia |journal=Asian Population Studies |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=115–133 |doi=10.1080/17441730.2015.1027275 |s2cid=153924060}}] The percentage of ethnic Kyrgyz has increased from around 50% in 1979 to over 70% in 2013, while the percentage of ethnic groups, such as Russians, Ukrainians, Germans and Tatars dropped from 35% to about 7%.[{{Cite book |last1=Kokaisl, Petr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XRXVbGwPgqIC&pg=PA132 |title=The Kyrgyz – Children of Manas. Кыргыздар – Манастын балдары |last2=Kokaislova, Pavla |publisher=NOSTALGIE Praha |year=2009 |isbn=978-80-254-6365-9 |page=132}}]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|+ Population of Kyrgyzstan according to ethnic group 1926–2025
! colspan="2" |
! Kyrgyz
! [[Uzbeks]]
! Russians
! Ukrainians
|-
! rowspan="2" | 1926 census[{{Cite web |title=Всесоюзная перепись населения 1926 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам РСФСР |trans-title=All-Union Census of 1926. The national composition of the population in the republics of the USSR |url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_nac_26.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321203605/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_nac_26.php |archive-date=21 March 2016 |access-date=14 February 2016 |website=Демоскоп Weekly |language=ru}}]
! Number
| 661,171
| 110,463
| 116,436
| 64,128
|-
! %
| {{percentage bar|66.6}}
| {{percentage bar|11.1}}
| {{percentage bar|11.7}}
| {{percentage bar|6.5}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | 1959 census[{{Cite web |title=Всесоюзная перепись населения 1959 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам СССР |trans-title=All-Union Census of 1959. The national composition of the population in the republics of the USSR |url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_59.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316172652/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_59.php |archive-date=16 March 2010 |access-date=14 February 2016 |website=Демоскоп Weekly |language=ru}}]
! Number
| 836,831
| 218,640
| 623,562
| 137,031
|-
! %
| {{percentage bar|40.5}}
| {{percentage bar|10.6}}
| {{percentage bar|30.2}}
| {{percentage bar|6.6}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | 1989 census[{{Cite web |title=Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам СССР |trans-title=All-Union Census of 1989. The national composition of the population in the republics of the USSR |url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316172713/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php |archive-date=16 March 2010 |access-date=14 February 2016 |website=Демоскоп Weekly |language=ru}}]
! Number
| 2,229,663
| 550,096
| 916,558
| 108,027
|-
! %
| {{percentage bar|52.4}}
| {{percentage bar|12.9}}
| {{percentage bar|21.5}}
| {{percentage bar|2.5}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | 1999 census[{{Cite web |title=5.01.00.03 Национальный состав населения |trans-title=5.01.00.03 National composition of the population |url=http://www.stat.kg/stat.files/din.files/census/5010003.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219092904/http://www.stat.kg/stat.files/din.files/census/5010003.pdf |archive-date=19 February 2012 |access-date=25 March 2013 |language=ru}}]
! Number
| 3,128,147
| 664,950
| 603,201
| 50,442
|-
! %
| {{percentage bar|64.9}}
| {{percentage bar|13.8}}
| {{percentage bar|12.5}}
| {{percentage bar|1.0}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2009 census[{{Cite book |url=https://stat.gov.kg/media/publicationarchive/0f717d2d-5078-4e18-8b56-fb2a530462a2.pdf |script-title=ru:Население Кыргызстана |language=ru |trans-title=Population of Kyrgyzstan |location=Bishkek |publisher=Национальный статистический комитет Кыргызской Республики [National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic] |year=2023 |isbn=978-9967-28-708-2 |access-date=26 August 2025}}]
! Number
| 3,804,788
| 768,405
| 419,583
| 21,924
|-
! %
| {{percentage bar|70.9}}
| {{percentage bar|14.3}}
| {{percentage bar|7.8}}
| {{percentage bar|0.4}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2022 census[{{Cite web |title=Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan |url=http://www.unesco.org/education/edurights/media/docs/ae8c0f7576f3d9f63ff2055592a9cb6b7f95227a.pdf |access-date=8 April 2021 |publisher=UNESCO}}][{{Cite web |title=Закон КР от 29 мая 2000 года No. 52 Об официальном языке Кыргызской Республики |trans-title=Law of the Kyrgyz Republic No. 52 of May 29, 2000 — On the Official Language of the Kyrgyz Republic. |url=https://cbd.minjust.gov.kg/443/edition/427547/ru |website=Централизованный банк данных правовой информации Кыргызской Республики}}]
Kyrgyz is a [[Turkic languages|Turkic language]] of the [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak]] branch, closely related to [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]], [[Karakalpak language|Karakalpak]], and [[Nogay language|Nogay Tatar]]. It was written in the [[Arabic alphabet]] until the 20th century. The [[Latin alphabet|Latin script]] was introduced and adopted on Stalin's orders in 1928, and was subsequently replaced by [[Cyrillic script]] in 1941.[{{Cite news |title=Kyrgyzstan: Latin (alphabet) fever takes hold {{!}} Eurasianet |work=Eurasianet |url=https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-latin-alphabet-fever-takes-hold |access-date=2021-01-05}}] A reformed Perso-Arabic alphabet, created by the Kyrgyz intellectual and scientist [[Kasym Tynystanov]], is the official script of the Kyrgyz language in the People's Republic of China.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyz |url=https://celcar.indiana.edu/materials/language-portal/kyrgyz/index.html |access-date=2021-09-18 |website=Center for Languages of the Central Asian RegionS |archive-date=18 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918164248/https://celcar.indiana.edu/materials/language-portal/kyrgyz/index.html |url-status=dead }}] As a result of the pending language reform in neighboring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan will be the only independent Turkic-speaking country in a few years that exclusively uses the Cyrillic alphabet.[{{Cite web |date=4 December 2019 |title='Only Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia insists on Cyrillic' — Tokayev |url=https://www.for.kg/news-626083-en.html |access-date=26 December 2021 |website=FOR.kg}}]
In April 2023, Russia suspended dairy exports to Kyrgyzstan after the chairman of Kyrgyzstan's National Commission for the State Language and Language Policies, Kanybek Osmonaliev, proposed to change the official script from Cyrillic to Latin to bring the country in line with other Turkic-speaking nations. Osmonaliev was reprimanded by President Sadyr Japarov who then clarified that Kyrgyzstan had no plans to replace the Cyrillic alphabet.[[https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kyrgyzstan-dairy-products-banned-cyrillic-latin/32373802.html Russia Suspends Dairy Products From Kyrgyzstan After Calls In Bishkek To Drop Cyrillic Script]. [[Radio Free Europe]], 21 April 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023]
Russian television media enjoy enormous popularity in Kyrgyzstan, especially in Bishkek and the Chüy Region, despite the percentage of Russians today being a fraction of that in 1989.{{cn|date=August 2025}} According to [[World Values Survey]] in 2020, Russian was the language spoken at home for 55.6% of the population of Bishkek, and Kyrgyz was the second with 43.6%. However, the countrywide figure for Russian was only 16.3%, whereas Kyrgyz was the home language of 70.9%. The [[Uzbek language]] was the third most spoken home language with 10.7% according to the same survey.[{{Cite web |title=WVS Database |url=https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=Worldvaluessurvey.org}}] Russian media outlets have an enormous influence on public opinion in Kyrgyzstan, especially in areas such as human rights and international political developments.[{{Cite news |title=Major Russian TV Channel Sidelined in Kyrgyzstan |work=Jamestown |url=https://jamestown.org/program/major-russian-tv-channel-sidelined-in-kyrgyzstan/}}]
Many business and political affairs are carried out in Russian. Until recently, Kyrgyz remained a language spoken at home and was rarely used during meetings or other events. However, most parliamentary meetings today are conducted in Kyrgyz, with simultaneous interpretation available for those not speaking Kyrgyz. According to an [[RFE/RL]] article from 2014, despite the attempts to raise the status of Kyrgyz, thousands of Kyrgyz are [[russifying]] their names every year (around 40,000), mostly for career prospects, and to remove themselves from the Russian blacklists (people who are to be deported upon entrance) by registering different names. There are also many Russian-language medium schools that are supported from the Russian foundations via the embassy of Russia in Bishkek which are better funded than the Kyrgyz language medium schools. Due to this, many ethnic Kyrgyz go to Russian language medium schools. Many high school students change their surnames annually; for example, 800 such changes were recorded in high school students in the region of Naryn.[{{Cite news |last1=Aidarov |first1=Jenish |last2=Recknagel |first2=Charles |date=10 December 2014 |title=In Kyrgyzstan, A New Interest In Russified Names |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-russified-names-central-asian-migrants/26735415.html |access-date=2022-08-01}}]
===Religion===
{{Bar box
| title=[[Religion in Kyrgyzstan]] (2017 estimate)|Religion[{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5598.htm |title=Kyrgyzstan |publisher=State.gov |access-date=17 April 2010}}]
| titlebar=#ddd
| float=right
| bars=
{{Bar percent|[[Islam in Kyrgyzstan|Islam]]|green|90}}
{{Bar percent|[[Christianity in Kyrgyzstan|Christianity]]|blue|7}}
{{Bar percent|[[Religion in Kyrgyzstan|Other]]|grey|3}}
}}
[[File:Karakol-Dungan-Mosque-Exterior-1.jpg|thumb|[[Karakol#Dungan mosque|Karakol Dungan Mosque]]]]
[[Islam]] is the dominant [[religion in Kyrgyzstan]]. The CIA World Factbook estimates that as of 2017, 90% of the population is Muslim, with the majority being [[Non-denominational Muslim|non-denominational]] and [[Sunni]]; 7% are Christian, including 3% [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodoxy]], and the remainder are other religions.[{{Cite web |date=5 November 2021 |title=Central Asia:: KYRGYZSTAN |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kyrgyzstan/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260118134350/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kyrgyzstan/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 January 2026 |publisher=CIA The World Factbook}}] A 2009 [[Pew Research Center]] report indicates 86.3% of Kyrgyzstan's population adhering to Islam.[{{Cite web |date=October 2009 |title=MAPPING THE GLOBAL MUSLIM POPULATION – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population |url=http://pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Topics/Demographics/Muslimpopulation.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328015651/http://pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Topics/Demographics/Muslimpopulation.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2010 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}] The great majority of Muslims are Sunni, adhering to the [[Hanafi|Hanafi school]] of thought,[{{Cite journal |title=The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity |date=9 August 2012 |publisher=Pew Research Center |website=Pew Forum on Religious & Public life}}] although a 2012 Pew survey report showed that only 23% of respondents to a questionnaire chose to identify themselves as Sunni, with 64% volunteering that they were "just a Muslim".[{{Cite web |title=The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity – Topline Survey Results |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2012/08/the-worlds-muslims-appendix-d-topline.pdf |website=Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life}}] There are a few [[Ahmadiyya]] Muslims, though unrecognized by the country.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/Kyrgyzstan/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=United States Department of State}}]
During Soviet times, [[state atheism]] was encouraged. Today, however, Kyrgyzstan is a [[secular state]], although Islam has exerted a growing influence in politics.[{{Cite web |title=ISN Security Watch – Islam exerts growing influence on Kyrgyz politics |url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=18147 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316223224/http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=18147 |archive-date=16 March 2008 |access-date=2 May 2010 |publisher=Isn.ethz.ch}}] For instance, there has been an attempt to arrange for officials to travel on ''[[hajj]]'' (the pilgrimage to [[Mecca]]) under a tax-free arrangement.
While [[Islam in Kyrgyzstan]] is more of a cultural background than a devout daily practice for many, public figures have expressed support for restoring religious values. For example, human rights [[ombudsman]] Tursunbay Bakir-Ulu notes, "In this era of independence, it is not surprising that there has been a return to spiritual roots not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also in other post-communist republics. It would be immoral to develop a market-based society without an ethical dimension."[{{Cite web |date=17 July 2007 |title=EurasiaNet Civil Society – Kyrgyzstan: Time to Ponder a Federal System – Ex-President's Daughter |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav071707a.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106225225/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav071707a.shtml |archive-date=6 November 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010 |publisher=Eurasianet.org}}] She emphasized that many mosques have recently been built and that the Kyrgyz are increasingly devoting themselves to Islam, which she noted was "not a bad thing in itself. It keeps our society more moral, cleaner."[{{Cite web |title=Religion and expressive culture – Kyrgyz |url=http://www.everyculture.com/Russia-Eurasia-China/Kyrgyz-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html |access-date=2 May 2010 |publisher=Everyculture.com}}]
[[File:Mosque under construction in Kyrgyzstan.jpg|thumb|Mosque under construction in Kyrgyzstan]]
The other faiths practiced in Kyrgyzstan include Russian Orthodox and [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine|Ukrainian Orthodox]] versions of Christianity, practiced primarily by Russians and Ukrainians respectively. A small minority of ethnic Germans are also Christian, mostly [[Lutheran Church|Lutheran]] and [[Anabaptist]], and there is a [[Roman Catholic]] community of approximately 600.[{{Cite web |date=2 October 2008 |title=Kirguistán la Iglesia renace con 600 católicos |url=http://www.zenit.org/article-28637?l=spanish |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007173444/http://www.zenit.org/article-28637?l=spanish |archive-date=7 October 2008 |publisher=ZENIT}}][{{Cite web |date=4 March 2010 |title=Religion in Kyrgyzstan |url=http://asia.msu.edu/centralasia/Kyrgyzstan/religion.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702212941/http://asia.msu.edu/centralasia/Kyrgyzstan/religion.html |archive-date=2 July 2007 |access-date=2 May 2010 |publisher=Asia.msu.edu}}] As part of the historic [[Kyrgyzstan Germans|Kyrgyzstan German]] minority, there were around 200 [[Mennonites]] in Kyrgyzstan in 2022.[{{Cite web |title=Mennonite World Conference World Map 2022 |url=https://mwc-cmm.org/sites/default/files/resource-uploads/mwc_world_map_2022.pdf |access-date=12 August 2024 |website=MWC-CMM }}{{Dead link|date=August 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}] One Mennonite community continues in the settlement of [[Rot-Front]].[{{Cite web |date=12 May 2019 |title=A Mennonite Town in Muslim Central Asia Holds On Against the Odds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/world/asia/kyrgyzstan-mennonites.html |access-date=12 August 2024 |website=The New York Times}}] A community of 5,000 to 10,000 Jehovah's Witnesses gathers in both Kyrgyz and Russian-speaking congregations and some Chinese- and Turkish-speaking groups.[{{Cite web |date=21 December 2015 |title=2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses |url=http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/?contentLanguageFilter=en&pubFilter=yb15&sortBy=1 |publisher=Watchtower Bible & Tract Society |page=182}}][{{Cite web |date=21 December 2015 |title=Congregation Meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses |url=http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/meetings/ |publisher=Watchtower Bible & Tract Society}}]
A few [[Animism|animistic]] traditions survive, as do influences from [[Buddhism]] such as the tying of [[prayer flag]]s onto sacred trees, though some view this practice as rooted within Sufi Islam.[''[[Sheikh|Shaikh]] Muhammad Bin Jamil Zeno'', [[Muhammad Bin Jamil Zeno]], 2006, pg. 264] There is also a small number of [[Bukharian Jews]] living in Kyrgyzstan, but during the collapse of the Soviet Union most fled to other countries, mainly the United States and Israel. In addition, there is a small community of [[Ashkenazi Jews]], who fled to the country from eastern Europe during the [[Second World War]].[{{Cite news |date=3 February 2015 |title=Jewish Bishkek: A Brief History and Guide |url=http://students.sras.org/jewish-bishkek-a-brief-history-and-guide/ |url-status=dead |access-date=17 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017093905/http://students.sras.org/jewish-bishkek-a-brief-history-and-guide/ |archive-date=17 October 2017}}]
In 2009 a law went into effect increasing the minimum number of adherents for recognizing a religion from 10 to 200. It also outlawed "aggressive action aimed at [[proselytism]]", and banned religious activity in schools and all activity by unregistered organizations.[{{Cite web |date=16 January 2009 |title=Human Rights Activists Condemn New Religion Law |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav011609c.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429065320/http://eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav011609c.shtml |archive-date=29 April 2009 |access-date=2 May 2010 |publisher=Eurasianet.org}}] There have been several reported police raids against peaceful minority religious meetings,[{{Cite web |date=21 December 2015 |title=KYRGYZSTAN: "His screams of terror and pain could be heard throughout the building" |url=http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2091 |publisher=Forum 18 News Service}}] as well as reports of officials planting false evidence,[{{Cite web |date=3 June 2011 |title=Kyrgyzstan: Court Confuses Jehovah's Witnesses for Islamic Radicals |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/63612 |publisher=eurasianet.org}}] but also some court decisions in favour of religious minorities.[{{Cite web |date=3 June 2011 |title=Kyrgyzstan Court Upholds Acquittal of Two Women Convicted Under False Charges |url=https://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/kyrgyzstan/osh-news-jw-acquittal/ |publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society}}]
===Education===
[[Education in Kyrgyzstan]] includes primary (grades 1 to 4, some schools have optional 0 grade), secondary (grades 5 to 9) and high (grades 10 to 11) divisions within one school.[{{Cite web |last=Curtis |first=Glenn E. |date=1997 |title=Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan : country studies |url=http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/cntrystd.kz |access-date=2 October 2018 |website=Library of Congress |publisher=Library of Congress, Federal Research Division}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}] Children are usually accepted to primary schools at the age of 6 or 7. It is required that every child finishes 9 grades of school and receives a certificate of completion. Grades 10–11 are optional, but it is necessary to complete them to graduate and receive a state-accredited school diploma. To graduate, a student must complete the 11-year school course and pass 4 mandatory state exams in writing, maths, history, and a foreign language.
As of 2023, there are 4,989 primary and secondary schools, including 445 in Bishkek;[{{cite web |author= |date=2023 |title=Число образовательных организаций по территории |trans-title=Number of educational institutions by region. |url=https://stat.gov.kg/en/statistics/download/dynamic/702 |access-date=19 February 2025 |website=National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyz Republic}}][{{cite web |author= |date=2023 |title=Число образовательных организаций по видам |url=https://stat.gov.kg/en/statistics/download/dynamic/703 |website=National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyz Republic |access-date=19 February 2025}}] the large majority of these (4,537) are public schools.[{{cite web |author= |date=2023 |title=Число образовательных организаций по видам и формам собственности |url=https://stat.gov.kg/en/statistics/download/dynamic/701 |website=National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyz Republic |access-date=19 February 2025}}] There are 58 higher educational institutions and universities, out of which 42 are public and 16 private.[{{Cite web |last=Altynbayev |first=Kanat |title=Russia's 'soft power' education push in Kyrgyzstan worries locals |url=https://central.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_ca/features/2021/03/26/feature-01 |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=Caravanserai}}]
====Libraries====
Kyrgyzstan is home to 1,066 libraries.[{{Cite web |url=https://librarymap.ifla.org/map/Metric/Number-of-libraries/LibraryType/National-Libraries,Academic-Libraries,Public-Libraries,Community-Libraries,School-Libraries,Other-Libraries/Country/Kyrgyzstan/Weight/Totals-by-Country |title=Library map of the world. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2021, from librarymap.ifla.org |access-date=14 March 2021 |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416224619/https://librarymap.ifla.org/map/Metric/Number-of-libraries/LibraryType/National-Libraries,Academic-Libraries,Public-Libraries,Community-Libraries,School-Libraries,Other-Libraries/Country/Kyrgyzstan/Weight/Totals-by-Country |url-status=dead }}] The [[National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic]] is the oldest library in the country, which was established in 1934. Kyrgyz Libraries are working towards expanding access to communities, evident in projects such as the signing of the [[Marrakesh VIP Treaty]] and the [[Open access]] Portal.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan {{pipe}} United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/portals-and-platforms/goap/access-by-region/asia-and-the-pacific/kyrgyzstan/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414045848/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/portals-and-platforms/goap/access-by-region/asia-and-the-pacific/kyrgyzstan/ |archive-date=14 April 2015 |website=Unesco.org}}][{{Cite web |title=The Right to Read in Kyrgyzstan {{pipe}} EIFL |url=https://www.eifl.net/eifl-in-action/right-read-kyrgyzstan |website=Eifl.net}}]
==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Kyrgyzstan}}
===Traditions===
[[File:Kyrgyz Manaschi, Karakol.jpg|thumb|upright|A Kyrgyz ''[[manaschi]]'' performing part of the ''[[Epic of Manas]]'' at a yurt camp in [[Karakol]]]]
[[File:Kyrgyz Musicians in Karakol.jpg|thumb|Musicians playing traditional [[Music of Kyrgyzstan|Kyrgyz music]]]]
[[File:Ishenbek and Berkut scout for prey. (3968888530).jpg|thumb|[[Hunting with eagles|Hunting with an eagle]]]]
[[File:Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theatre, Bishkek.jpg|thumb|Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theatre, Bishkek]]
* ''[[Manas (epic)|Manas]]'', an [[epic poem]]; the plot revolves around a series of events that coincide with the history of the region in the 9th century, primarily the interaction of the Kyrgyz people with other Turkic and Chinese people.
* ''[[Komuz]]'', a three-stringed lute
* ''[[Tush kyiz]]'', large, elaborately embroidered wall hangings
* ''[[Shyrdak]]'' and ''[[Ala-kiyiz]]'' carpets, manufactured by the process of [[felt]]ing, used for yurts. Inscribed in 2012 on the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding]].[{{Cite web |last=Aidar, Iliyas |title=Kyrgyz Style – Production – Souvenirs |url=http://www.kyrgyzstyle.kg/production/shirdaks/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111022300/http://www.kyrgyzstyle.kg/production/shirdaks/index.htm |archive-date=11 November 2006 |access-date=2 May 2010 |publisher=Kyrgyzstyle.kg}}][{{Cite web |title=Ala-kiyiz and Shyrdak, art of Kyrgyz traditional felt carpets |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/ala-kiyiz-and-shyrdak-art-of-kyrgyz-traditional-felt-carpets-00693 |website=UNESCO}}]
* Other textiles, especially made from felt
* ''[[Ala kachuu]]'', illegal but still practiced [[bride kidnapping]].[{{Cite web |last=Lom |first=Petr |date=March 2004 |title=The Story (Synopsis of ''Kyrgyzstan – The Kidnapped Bride'') |url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/kyrgyzstan/thestory.html |website=Frontline / World |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation}}] It is debatable whether bride kidnapping is actually traditional. Some of the confusion may stem from the fact that [[arranged marriage]]s were traditional, and one of the ways to escape an arranged marriage was to arrange a consensual "kidnapping".[{{Cite journal |date=26 September 2006 |title=Reconciled to Violence: State Failure to Stop Domestic Abuse and Abduction of Women in Kyrgyzstan |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2006/09/27/reconciled-violence/state-failure-stop-domestic-abuse-and-abduction-women |journal=Human Rights Watch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105108/http://pantheon.hrw.org/reports/2006/kyrgyzstan0906/ |archive-date=4 March 2016}}]
* [[Falconry]]
* Various [[Dance in Kyrgyzstan|dances]]
===Flag===
The 40-rayed yellow sun in the center of [[Flag of Kyrgyzstan|the national flag]] represent the 40 tribes that once made up the entirety of Kyrgyz culture before the intervention of Russia during the rise of the Soviet Union. The lines inside the sun represent the crown or tündük (Kyrgyz түндүк) of a yurt, a symbol replicated in many facets of Kyrgyz architecture. The red portion of the flag represents peace and openness of Kyrgyzstan.
Under Soviet rule and before 1992, it had the [[flag of the Soviet Union]] with two large blue stripes and a thin white stripe in the middle.
===Media===
{{main|Media of Kyrgyzstan}}
===Cuisine===
{{Main|Kyrgyz cuisine}}
===Sports===
{{See also|Rugby union in Kyrgyzstan}}
In the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in [[Sydney]], Kyrgyzstan received its first ever Olympic medal when [[Aidyn Smagulov]] won bronze in the men's 60 kg competition final in judo.[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan at the Olympic Games |url=https://www.topendsports.com/events/summer/countries/kyrgyzstan.htm |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=Topendsports.com}}][{{Cite web |title=Sydney 2000 Sydney 2000 Judo – 60 kg men Results |url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/sydney-2000/results/judo/sydney-2000-judo-60-kg-men |access-date=11 June 2024 |website=Olympics {{!}} Olympic Games, Medals, Results & Latest News}}][[File:Bandy 2012. KYR - JPN.JPG|thumb|Bandy: Kyrgyzstan in red against Japan]]
[[Association football|Football]] is one of the most popular sports.[{{cite web |title=Build a stadium, FIFA's Infantino urges Kyrgyzstan |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/build-stadium-fifas-infantino-urges-kyrgyzstan-2023-05-06/ |website=Reuters |access-date=27 February 2025 |date=6 May 2023}}][{{cite web |last1=Beshov |first1=Aizatbek |title=Киргизский футбол поставил "антирекорд" ФИФА |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/sport/2012/04/120420_kyrgyz_football |website=BBC |access-date=27 February 2025 |language=ru |date=20 April 2012}}] The official governing body is the [[Football Federation of Kyrgyz Republic]], which was founded in 1992. It administers the [[Kyrgyzstan national football team]].[{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan |url=https://www.fifa.com/associations/association=kgz/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809001834/http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=kgz/index.html |archive-date=9 August 2007 |access-date=3 May 2011 |publisher=FIFA}}] Wrestling is popular. Since the [[2008 Summer Olympic Games]], Kyrgyzstani wrestlers have won six medals in [[Greco-Roman wrestling|Greco-Roman]] and [[freestyle wrestling]]: three in [[Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008]] and three in [[Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics|2020]].[{{cite news |date=3 August 2021 |title=Кыргызстан завоевал первые с 2008 года медали на Олимпиаде |trans-title=Kyrgyzstan won its first Olympic medals since 2008. |url=https://rus.azattyk.org/a/31391341.html |access-date=18 February 2024 |work=Радио Азаттык |language=Russian}}]
[[Ice hockey]] was not as popular until the first [[Kyrgyzstan Championship (ice hockey)|Ice Hockey Championship]] was organized in 2009. In 2011, the [[Kyrgyzstan men's national ice hockey team]] won [[2011 Asian Winter Games]] Premier Division dominating in all six games with six wins. It was the first major international event that Kyrgyzstan's ice hockey team took part in.[{{Cite web |last=Lundqvist |first=Henrik |date=5 February 2011 |title=Kyrgyzstan wins the Asian Winter Games Premier Division 2011 |url=http://www.eurohockey.com/article/259-kyrgyzstan-wins-the-asian-winter-games-premier-division-2011.html |publisher=EuroHockey}}] The Kyrgyzstan men's ice hockey team joined the [[IIHF]] in July 2011.
[[Bandy]] is becoming increasingly popular. The national team took Kyrgyzstan's first medal at the [[Asian Winter Games]], when they captured the bronze. They played in the [[Bandy World Championship 2012]], their first appearance in that tournament.[{{Cite web |title=Team picture with Japan after their first meeting in the World Championships |url=http://www.bandy.or.jp/_userdata/teampictureFeb2.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819170346/http://www.bandy.or.jp/_userdata/teampictureFeb2.jpg |archive-date=19 August 2012 |website=bandy.or.jp}}] [[Kyrgyzstan men's national basketball team|Kyrgyzstan's national basketball team]] had its best performance at the official [[1995 Asian Basketball Championship]] where the team finished ahead of favorites including Iran, Philippines and Jordan.
XXI International Issyk-Kul Sports Games was held in 9–17 September 2022 in [[Baktuu-Dolonotu]].[{{Cite web |date=25 August 2022 |title=Issyk-Kul region to host International Sports Games – |url=https://24.kg/english/243208_Issyk-Kul_region_to_host_International_Sports_Games/}}] The first three [[World Nomad Games]] were held in Cholpon-Ata. The 6th International Sports Festival Pearl of Kyrgyzstan were held in Issyk-Kul region in 2022.
====Horse riding====
[[File:Kok-boru, Kyrgyzstan.jpg|thumb|Ulak Tartysh]]
The traditional national sports reflect the importance of [[horse riding]] in Kyrgyz culture. Very popular, as in all of Central Asia, is ''[[Buzkashi|Ulak Tartysh]]'', a [[team sports|team game]] resembling a cross between [[polo]] and [[rugby football|rugby]] in which two teams of riders wrestle for possession of the headless carcass of a goat, which they attempt to deliver across the opposition's goal line, or into the opposition's goal: a big tub or a circle marked on the ground.
Other popular games on horseback include:
* ''At Chabysh'' – a long-distance horse race, sometimes over a distance of more than 50 km
* ''Jumby Atmai'' – a large bar of precious metal (the "jumby") is tied to a pole by a thread and contestants attempt to break the thread by shooting at it, while at a gallop
* ''[[Kyz Kuumai]]'' – a man chases a girl to win a kiss from her, while she gallops away; if he is not successful she may in turn chase him and attempt to beat him with her "kamchi" (horsewhip)
* ''Oodarysh'' – two contestants wrestle on horseback, each attempting to be the first to throw the other from his horse
* ''Tyin Emmei'' – picking up a coin from the ground at full gallop
===Public holidays===
In addition to celebrating the New Year each 1 January, the Kyrgyz observe the traditional New Year festival [[Nowruz]] on the vernal equinox. This spring holiday is celebrated with feasts and festivities such as the horse game [[Buzkashi|Ulak Tartish]].
[[Public holidays in Kyrgyzstan|Public holidays in Kyrgystan]]:
* 1 January – New Year's Day
* 7 January – Orthodox Christmas
* 23 February – Fatherland Defender's Day
* 8 March – Women's Day
* 21–23 March – Nooruz Mairamy, Persian New Year (spring festival)
* 7 April – Day of National Revolution
* 1 May – Labor Day
* 5 May – Constitution Day
* 8 May – Remembrance Day
* 9 May – [[Victory Day (9 May)|Victory Day]]
* 31 August – Independence Day
* 7–8 November – Days of History and Commemoration of Ancestors
Two additional Muslim holidays ''[[Eid al-Fitr|Orozo Ayt]]'' and ''[[Eid al-Adha|Qurman (or Qurban) Ayt]]'' are defined by the lunar calendar.
==See also==
{{Portal|Countries|Asia}}
* [[Outline of Kyrgyzstan]]
* [[Chinghiz Aitmatov]]
{{Clear}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
{{See also|Bibliography of the history of Central Asia}}
{{refbegin}}
* Minahan, James. ''Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States'' (Routledge, 1998) pp 200–214.
* ''Historical Dictionary of Kyrgyzstan'' by Rafis Abazov
* ''Kyrgyzstan: Central Asia's Island of Democracy?'' by John Anderson
* ''Kyrgyzstan: The Growth and Influence of Islam in the Nations of Asia and Central Asia'' by Daniel E. Harmon
* ''Lonely Planet Guide: Central Asia'' by Paul Clammer, Michael Kohn and Bradley Mayhew
* ''Odyssey Guide: Kyrgyz Republic'' by Ceri Fairclough, Rowan Stewart and Susie Weldon
* ''[http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=17240 Politics of Language in the Ex-Soviet Muslim States: Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619112258/http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=17240 |date=19 June 2010 }}'' by Jacob M. Landau and Barbara Kellner-Heinkele. Ann Arbor, [[University of Michigan Press]], 2001. {{ISBN|978-0-472-11226-5}}
* ''Kyrgyzstan: Traditions of Nomads'' by V. Kadyrov, Rarity Ltd., Bishkek, 2005. {{ISBN|9967-424-42-7}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200407170522/https://admissions.kg/cities/ Cities in Kyrgyzstan]}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200814200646/https://admissions.kg/cities/bishkek/ Bishkek city of Kyrgyzstan]}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200814190832/https://admissions.kg/cities/osh/ Osh city of Kyrgyzstan]}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200814195007/https://admissions.kg/cities/jalal-abad/ Jalal-Abad city of Kyrgyzstan]}}
{{refend}}
==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Kyrgyzstan|d=Q813}}
=== Government ===
* [http://www.president.kg/ President of Kyrgyzstan] official site
* [http://www.gov.kg/ Government of Kyrgyzstan] official site
* [http://kenesh.kg/ Parliament of Kyrgyzstan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129115900/http://kenesh.kg/ |date=29 November 2020 }} official site
* [http://www.lexadin.nl/wlg/legis/nofr/oeur/lxwekyr.htm Laws of the Kyrgyz Republic]
=== General information ===
* [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16186907 Country Profile] from [[BBC News]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20260118134350/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kyrgyzstan/ Kyrgyzstan]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080607085109/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/kyrgyzstan.htm Kyrgyzstan] at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100405050630/http://www.library.illinois.edu/spx/webct/nationalbib/kyrgyzintro.html Kyrgyz Publishing and Bibliography]
* [https://www.ifs.du.edu/IFs/frm_CountryProfile/KG Key Development Forecasts for Kyrgyzstan] from [[International Futures]]
* [https://konyvtar.uni-pannon.hu/doktori/2023/Askarbek_Mambetaliev_dissertation.pdf Language Policy in Kyrgyzstan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260804064327/https://konyvtar.uni-pannon.hu/doktori/2023/Askarbek_Mambetaliev_dissertation.pdf |date=4 August 2026 }} from [[University of Pannonia]]
* [https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/kyrgyzstan-population/#:~:text=The%20current%20population%20of%20Kyrgyzstan,latest%20United%20Nations%20data1. Kyrgyzstan Population]
=== Maps ===
* {{wikiatlas|Kyrgyzstan}}
{{Kyrgyzstan topics}}
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