Demographics of Tajikistan
Encyclopedia
The Demographics of Tajikistan is about the demographic
features of the population
of Tajikistan
, including population growth, population density
, ethnicity
, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.
's main ethnic group are the Tajiks, with minorities such as the Uzbeks
and Kyrgyz, and a small Russian
minority. Because not everyone in Tajikistan is an ethnic Tajik, the non-Tajik citizens of the country are referred to as Tajikistani. The official nationality of any person from Tajikistan is a Tajikistani, while the ethnic Tajik majority simply call themselves Tajik.
Contemporary Tajiks are an Iranian people. In particular, they are descended from ancient Eastern Iranian peoples of Central Asia
, such as the Soghdians and the Bactrians
, with an admixture of Western Iranian Persians
as well as non-Iranian peoples.
Until the 20th century, people in the region used two types of distinction to identify themselves: way of life - either nomadic or sedentary - and place of residence. By the late nineteenth century, the Tajik and Uzbek peoples, who had lived in proximity for centuries and often used each other's languages, did not perceive themselves as two distinct nationalities. The modern labels were imposed artificially when Central Asia was divided into five Soviet republics in the 1920s. With the formation of five Central Asian republics under the USSR, many Tajiks were forced to sign themselves as Uzbek to avoid persecution in current Uzbekistan.
Historically, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were also home to Bukharan Jews
, who trace their ancestry to the Lost Tribes of Israel taken captive by the Babylonians in the 7th century BC, but almost no Bukharian Jews are left in Tajikistan.
and other Turkic people 16.5%, Russian 1.1% (declining because of emigration), Kyrgyz 1.1% , other (including Bukharian Jews and Volga German
s) 2.6% (2000 population census).
Ethic makeup according to the population censuses from 1926 to 2000 (in thousands)
Note: The category Tajiks also includes approximately 135,000 ethnic Pamiris, of which 65% are Shughni
speakers, 13% are Rushani
speakers, 12% speak Wakhi
, 5% are Bartangi
speakers, 3% are Yazgulyami
speakers, 1.5% speak Khufi
, and 0.8% are Ishkashimi
speakers. In addition there are 5,000 speakers of Yagnobi. According to the 2000 census, excluding the people whose native languages are Pamiri or Yagnobi, Tajiks account for 77.6% of the population.
(a variety of the Persian language
) are spoken, and it is is the official language. Russian
is widely used in both government and business. The different ethnic minorities speak different languages, for instance Uzbek
. In the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
, Shughni
as well as other Pamir languages
are spoken. In the northern Yaghnob valley, the Yaghnobi language
is still spoken.
, (approximately 95% Sunni
and 3% Shia). The remaining 2% of the population are Jews
, Zoroastrians
and ethnic Russian followers of Russian Orthodoxy
.
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook as of September 2009, unless otherwise indicated.
15–64 years: 62.1% (male 2,260,552/female 2,303,034)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 112,334/female 151,937) (2009 est.)
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.74 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
male: 45.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 35.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
65.33 years
male:
62.29 years
female:
68.52 years (2009 est.)
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
99.5%
male:
99.7%
female:
99.2% (2000 census)
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
features of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, including population growth, population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
, ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.
Demographic trends
TajikistanTajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
's main ethnic group are the Tajiks, with minorities such as the Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
and Kyrgyz, and a small Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
minority. Because not everyone in Tajikistan is an ethnic Tajik, the non-Tajik citizens of the country are referred to as Tajikistani. The official nationality of any person from Tajikistan is a Tajikistani, while the ethnic Tajik majority simply call themselves Tajik.
Contemporary Tajiks are an Iranian people. In particular, they are descended from ancient Eastern Iranian peoples of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, such as the Soghdians and the Bactrians
Bactrians
The Bactrians were the inhabitants of Bactria.Several important trade routes from India and China passed through Bactria and, as early as the Bronze Age, this had allowed the accumulation of vast amounts of wealth by the mostly nomadic population. The first proto-urban civilization in the area...
, with an admixture of Western Iranian Persians
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
as well as non-Iranian peoples.
Until the 20th century, people in the region used two types of distinction to identify themselves: way of life - either nomadic or sedentary - and place of residence. By the late nineteenth century, the Tajik and Uzbek peoples, who had lived in proximity for centuries and often used each other's languages, did not perceive themselves as two distinct nationalities. The modern labels were imposed artificially when Central Asia was divided into five Soviet republics in the 1920s. With the formation of five Central Asian republics under the USSR, many Tajiks were forced to sign themselves as Uzbek to avoid persecution in current Uzbekistan.
Historically, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were also home to Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, or яҳудиёни Бухоро Yahūdieni Bukhoro , Bukhori Hebrew Script: יהודיאני בוכאראי and יהודיאני בוכארי), also called the Binai Israel, are Jews from Central Asia who speak Bukhori, a dialect of the Tajik-Persian language...
, who trace their ancestry to the Lost Tribes of Israel taken captive by the Babylonians in the 7th century BC, but almost no Bukharian Jews are left in Tajikistan.
Ethnic groups
Tajik 79.9%, UzbekUzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
and other Turkic people 16.5%, Russian 1.1% (declining because of emigration), Kyrgyz 1.1% , other (including Bukharian Jews and Volga German
Volga German
The Volga Germans were ethnic Germans living along the River Volga in the region of southern European Russia around Saratov and to the south. Recruited as immigrants to Russia in the 18th century, they were allowed to maintain German culture, language, traditions and churches: Lutherans, Reformed,...
s) 2.6% (2000 population census).
Ethic makeup according to the population censuses from 1926 to 2000 (in thousands)
Note: The category Tajiks also includes approximately 135,000 ethnic Pamiris, of which 65% are Shughni
Shughni language
Shughni is one of the Pamir languages of the Southeastern Iranian language group. Its distribution is in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan and Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan....
speakers, 13% are Rushani
Rushani language
The Rushani language is a dialect of Shughni language, a Pamir language.-Literature:*Zarubin, I.I.. Bartangskie i rushanskie teksty i slovar. Moskva : Izd-vo Akademii nauk SSSR, 1937....
speakers, 12% speak Wakhi
Wakhi language
Wakhi is an Indo-European language in the branch of Eastern Iranian language family and is intimately related to other Southeastern Iranian languages in the Pamir languages group.-Classification and Distribution:...
, 5% are Bartangi
Bartangi language
The Bartangi language is a Pamir language spoke along the Bartang River from Yemtz to Nikbist. It is typically classified as a dialect of Shughni, but is quite distinct.-References:...
speakers, 3% are Yazgulyami
Yazgulyam language
The Yazgulyam language is a member of the Pamir subgroup of the Iranian languages, spoken by ca. 4,000 native speakers along the Yazgulyam River, Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. Together with Shugni, it is classified as the Shugni-Yazgulami subgroup of the Pamir languages...
speakers, 1.5% speak Khufi
Khufi language
Khufi language is one of the Pamir languages of Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province. It is closely related to, and traditionally considered a dialect of, Shughni...
, and 0.8% are Ishkashimi
Ishkashimi language
The Ishkashimi language is one of the Pamir languages of the Southeastern Iranian language group. Its distribution is in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan, Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan and Chitral region of Pakistan....
speakers. In addition there are 5,000 speakers of Yagnobi. According to the 2000 census, excluding the people whose native languages are Pamiri or Yagnobi, Tajiks account for 77.6% of the population.
| Ethnic group |
census 19261 | census 19392 | census 19593 | census 19704 | census 19795 | census 19896 | census 2000 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |||
| Tajiks Tajiks Tajik is a general designation for a wide range of Persian-speaking people of Iranic origin, with traditional homelands in present-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan... |
617,125 | 74.6 | 883,966 | 59.5 | 1,051,164 | 53.1 | 1,629,920 | 56.2 | 2,237,048 | 58.8 | 3,172,420 | 62.3 | 4,898,400 | 79.9 | ||
| Yagnobi | 1,829 | 0.2 | ||||||||||||||
| Uzbeks Uzbeks The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China... |
175,627 | 21.2 | 353,478 | 23.8 | 454,433 | 23.0 | 665,662 | 23.0 | 873,199 | 22.9 | 1,197,841 | 23.5 | 1,012,5007 | 16.5 | ||
| Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
5,638 | 0.7 | 134,916 | 9.1 | 262,610 | 13.3 | 344,109 | 11.9 | 395,089 | 10.4 | 388,481 | 7.6 | 68,200 | 1.1 | ||
| Kyrgyz | 11,410 | 1.4 | 27,968 | 1.9 | 25,635 | 1.3 | 35,485 | 1.2 | 48,376 | 1.3 | 63,832 | 1.3 | 65,500 | 1.1 | ||
| Turkmen Turkmen people The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,... |
4,148 | 0.5 | 4,040 | 0.3 | 7,115 | 0.4 | 11,043 | 0.4 | 13,991 | 0.4 | 20,487 | 0.4 | 20,300 | 0.3 | ||
| Tatars Tatars Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,... |
950 | 0.1 | 18,296 | 1.2 | 56,893 | 2.9 | 70,803 | 2.4 | 79,529 | 2.1 | 79,442 | 1.6 | 19,000 | 0.3 | ||
| Arabs | 3,260 | 0.4 | 2,290 | 0.2 | 1,297 | 0.1 | 248 | 0.0 | 176 | 0.0 | 276 | 0.0 | 14,500 | 0.2 | ||
| Others | 7,180 | 0.9 | 60,137 | 4.0 | 120,750 | 6.1 | 142,332 | 4.9 | 158,812 | 4.2 | 169,824 | 3.3 | 29,100 | 0.5 | ||
| Total | 827,2167 | 1,485,091 | 1,979,897 | 2,899,602 | 3,806,220 | 5,092,603 | 6,127,500 | |||||||||
| 1 Source: http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_26.php?reg=2134. 2 Source: http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_39.php. 3 Source: http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_59.php. 4 Source: http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_70.php. 5 Source: http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_79.php. 6 Source: http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php 7 including 51,000 Lakai, 15,100 Kongrat, 4,900 Katagan, 3,700 Barlos and 1,100 Yuz | ||||||||||||||||
Languages
Several dialects of TajikTajik language
Tajik, Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, is a variety of modern Persian spoken in Central Asia. Historically Tajiks called their language zabani farsī , meaning Persian language in English; the term zabani tajikī, or Tajik language, was introduced in the 20th century by the Soviets...
(a variety of the Persian language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
) are spoken, and it is is the official language. Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
is widely used in both government and business. The different ethnic minorities speak different languages, for instance Uzbek
Uzbek language
Uzbek is a Turkic language and the official language of Uzbekistan. It has about 25.5 million native speakers, and it is spoken by the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia...
. In the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province is an autonomous, mountainous province in the east of Tajikistan. Located in the Pamir Mountains, it makes up 45% of the land area of the country but only 3% of the population....
, Shughni
Shughni language
Shughni is one of the Pamir languages of the Southeastern Iranian language group. Its distribution is in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan and Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan....
as well as other Pamir languages
Pamir languages
The Pamir languages are a group of the Eastern Iranian languages, spoken by numerous people in the Pamir Mountains, primarily along the Panj River and its tributaries. This includes the Badakhshan Province of northeastern Afghanistan and the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province of eastern Tajikistan...
are spoken. In the northern Yaghnob valley, the Yaghnobi language
Yaghnobi language
The Yaghnobi language is a living East Iranian language . Yaghnobi is spoken in the upper valley of the Yaghnob River in the Zarafshan area of Tajikistan by the Yaghnobi people...
is still spoken.
Religions
According to a 2009 U.S. State Department release, the population of Tajikistan is 98% MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, (approximately 95% Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
and 3% Shia). The remaining 2% of the population are Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Zoroastrians
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
and ethnic Russian followers of Russian Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
.
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
- For the latest statistics, see this country's entry in the CIA World Factbook
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook as of September 2009, unless otherwise indicated.
Age structure
0–14 years: 34.3% (male 1,282,681/female 1,238,607)15–64 years: 62.1% (male 2,260,552/female 2,303,034)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 112,334/female 151,937) (2009 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth:1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.74 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 41.03 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 45.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 35.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population:65.33 years
male:
62.29 years
female:
68.52 years (2009 est.)
Education
Education is required through high school (12 years of schooling) but completion rate is under 90%;Literacy
definition:age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
99.5%
male:
99.7%
female:
99.2% (2000 census)
