The population of Kyrgyzstan and its ethnic composition

Kyrgyzstan is a small Central Asian state, of which we know very little. What is the population of Kyrgyzstan today? What ethnic groups live on its territory? These issues are disclosed in our article.

The population of Kyrgyzstan and the dynamics of its growth

The Kyrgyz Republic (or Kyrgyzstan) is a small state in the heart of Asia, sandwiched between China and Kazakhstan. Demographically, culturally and ethnically, this country is unusual and interesting.

How many people live in Kyrgyzstan today? And what is its ethnic structure? Let's try to answer these questions.

How many people live in Kyrgyzstan? The population counter of this country at the beginning of 2015 reached 5.9 million people. A surprising feature of Kyrgyzstan is that here, until now, most of the population lives in rural areas (more than 60%). Thus, the urban processes that dominate the entire modern world can not in any way subjugate a small Central Asian country.

In Kyrgyzstan there are only 51 cities. But not one of them is not a millionaire city. The largest of them are Bishkek (the capital of the state), Osh, Jalal-Abad, Karakol and Tokmok.

It should be noted that in the capital of the country, Bishkek, according to demographers, half of the total urban population of Kyrgyzstan. According to various estimates, 600 to 900 thousand people live in this city. This run-up in figures is explained by the incorrect account of citizens, which is typical for the modern Kyrgyz Republic.

The population of Kyrgyzstan has more than doubled in the last half-century and continues to increase. Over the past year, the total increase in the population of the country was about 250 thousand people. The main reason for this was high fertility rates.

The most populated in Kyrgyzstan are Osh and Jalal-Abad oblasts.

Ethnic composition of the republic's population

The population of Kyrgyzstan is characterized by a rather complex ethnic structure. It should be noted that until 1985, the Kirghiz were not the predominant ethnic group in this republic. The thing is that in the times of the USSR, territories where historically other peoples lived (primarily Uzbeks and Russians) were included in its borders. By the middle of the twentieth century, Kyrgyz were only 40% of the total population of the republic.

However, over time, the number of Kirghiz began to increase rapidly. Over the period from 1959 to 2009, their total number in the country increased by 2.5 times.

To date, the top ten peoples of Kyrgyzstan (in terms of numbers) are as follows:

1. Kirghiz, 71%.
2. Uzbeks, 14%.
3. Russian, 7.8%.
4. Dungans, 1.1%.
5. Uighurs, 0.9%.
6. Tajikistan, 0.8%.
7. The Turks, 0.7%.
8. Kazakhs, 0.6%.
9. Tatars, 0.6%.
10. Ukrainians, 0.4%.

It is worth noting that the Kyrgyz in the ethnic structure prevail in all areas, as well as in the capital of the state, where their share is about 70 percent. The Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan live quite compactly, concentrating in two cities - Osh and Uzgen.

Interethnic Conflicts

Interethnic relations within the republic can be characterized as tense and unstable. They are distinguished by a rather large conflict potential, which from time to time is manifested in street riots and clashes between different ethnic groups.

Thus, the biggest conflicts on national soil arose in the country in 1990 (the so-called Osh massacre) and in 2010.

Interethnic conflicts in Kyrgyzstan, as a rule, are caused by several factors. Among them:

• Shortage of land resources (for example, the land became the original cause of the Osh conflict of 1990, which claimed at least 1,200 lives);
• A deep economic crisis and massive unemployment;
• Insufficient presence of national minorities in the state apparatus of government.

Migration processes in Kyrgyzstan

The population of Kyrgyzstan is actively migrating from villages to cities, where there is at least some chance of finding a job. Most often these are young people who could not get enough education. It is often very difficult for them to settle in a big city for them. As a consequence, unemployment and crime are increasing. The active migration of Kyrgyz from rural areas to cities (mainly in Bishkek) began as early as the beginning of the 1990s and continues to this day.

In addition, many residents of Kyrgyzstan also travel abroad. The main purpose of emigrants in this case is Moscow, as well as other major Russian cities.

It is worth mentioning one more consequence of the collapse of the USSR for this state. In the early 1990s, non-Russian citizens began to leave the country in large numbers, in particular Russians and Ukrainians.

Russian Diaspora in Kyrgyzstan

In the Kyrgyz Republic is a fairly powerful Russian diaspora. Even in spite of the fact that in comparison with 1989 the number of Russians in this country has decreased three-fold.

The Russian population in Kyrgyzstan is concentrated mainly in Chui and Issyk-Kul oblasts, as well as in Bishkek. But in the Osh region, where Uzbeks are dominant, the Russians did not get accustomed at all.

Anyway, there is no discrimination against the Russians in Kyrgyzstan. Russian language is freely used in schools and universities of Kyrgyzstan, and in Bishkek even the Russian Drama Theater operates.

Finally

The Kyrgyz Republic is a small state in Central Asia, with 5.9 million people. The population of Kirghizia is characterized by a rather uneasy ethnic structure. This, in turn, is manifested in the sharp interethnic conflicts that periodically break out in this country.