Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Republic)

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz Republic
Status	Independent State
Capital	Bishkek
Land Area	191 800km21
Location	Asia
Population	5.4m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	70.79yrs (2017)3
GNI	$3 097 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	KG, KGZ, 4175
Internet Domain	.kg6
Currency	Som (KGS)7
Telephone	+9968

1. Overview
2. Kyrgyzstan National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Religion and Beliefs
6. The Internet
7. Public Health Issues
8. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
9. Links

---

1. Overview

#russia

“A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, most of Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed to Russia in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist Empire in 1916 in which almost one-sixth of the Kyrgyz population was killed. Kyrgyzstan became a Soviet republic in 1936 and achieved independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAEV, who had run the country since 1990. Subsequent presidential elections in July 2005 were won overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIEV. Over the next few years, the new president manipulated the parliament to accrue new powers for himself. In July 2009, after months of harassment against his opponents and media critics, BAKIEV won re-election in a presidential campaign that the international community deemed flawed. In April 2010, violent protests in Bishkek led to the collapse of the BAKIEV regime and his eventual fleeing to Minsk, Belarus. His successor, Roza OTUNBAEVA, served as transitional president until Almazbek ATAMBAEV was inaugurated in December 2011. Continuing concerns include: the trajectory of democratization, endemic corruption, poor interethnic relations, and terrorism.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“A half-forgotten land of mountain valleys, glittering lakes and felt yurts, Kyrgyzstan is a dream for DIY adventurers, eco tourists and wannabe nomads. Kyrgyzstan is a nation defined by its topography: joyously unspoilt mountainscapes, stark craggy ridges, and rolling summer pastures (jailoos) are brought to life by semi- nomadic, yurt-dwelling shepherd cultures. Add to this natural beauty a well-developed network of homestays and the recent introduction of visa-free travel, and it´s easy to see why Kyrgyzstan is rapidly becoming the gateway of choice for Western travellers in Central Asia. As can be expected in a country where the vast majority of attractions are rural and high altitude, the timing of your visit is crucial. Summer is ideal with hikes and roads generally accessible. Midsummer also sees Kazakh and Russian tourists converge on the beaches of never-freezing Lake Issyk-Köl. From October to May, much rural accommodation closes down and the yurts that add such character to the alpine vistas are stashed away. So think twice about a winter visit unless you´ve come to ski.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Kyrgyzstan National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
117	El Salvador	117
118	Bolivia	118
119	S. Africa	119
120	Kyrgyzstan	120
121	Iraq	121
122	Cape Verde	122
123	Morocco	123
124	Nicaragua	124
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	84.0
2	Sweden	83.9
3	Finland	83.5
	...
83	Colombia	53.7
84	Ecuador	53.5
85	Kuwait	53.5
86	Kyrgyzstan	53.4
87	Jordan	53.3
88	Bahamas	53.3
89	Cuba	53.0
90	Morocco	52.8
	World Avg	53.8
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#demographics #health #immigration #Kyrgyzstan #life_expectancy #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
82	Mongolia	11.8
83	Uzbekistan	11.9
84	Tonga	11.9
85	Kyrgyzstan	12.1
86	Indonesia	12.4
87	Myanmar (Burma)	12.5
88	India	12.5
89	Bolivia	12.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
55	Latvia	12.3
56	Luxembourg	11.8
57	Jordan	11.3
58	Kyrgyzstan	11.2
59	Tajikistan	11.2
60	Cuba	10.9
61	Mauritius	10.9
62	Greece	10.8
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
104	S. Korea	1.38
105	Slovakia	1.36
106	Botswana	2.64
107	Kyrgyzstan	2.64
108	Austria	1.35
109	Egypt	2.65
110	Singapore	1.35
111	Saudi Arabia	2.67
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
82	Uzbekistan	4.2
83	Finland	4.2
84	Tajikistan	4.0
85	Kyrgyzstan	4.0
86	Turkmenistan	4.0
87	Georgia	4.0
88	Lithuania	4.0
89	Guinea	3.8
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
110	Suriname	71.28
111	Ukraine	71.13
112	Azerbaijan	70.90
113	Kyrgyzstan	70.79
114	N. Korea	70.52
115	Trinidad & Tobago	70.52
116	Russia	70.26
117	Fiji	70.15
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		The Overpopulation of the Earth17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
110	Denmark	5.6m
111	Eritrea	5.6m
112	Slovakia	5.5m
113	Kyrgyzstan	5.4m
114	Finland	5.4m
115	Singapore	5.3m
116	Turkmenistan	5.2m
117	Norway	5.0m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Kyrgyzstan's population is predicted to rise to 6.666 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.64. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#equality #freedom #human_rights #kyrgyzstan #politics #tolerance

Kyrgyzstan is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Kyrgyzstan does better than average in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₈, eliminating modern slavery₁₉ and in LGBT equality₂₀. But unfortunately Kyrgyzstan gets most other things wrong. It does worse than average in commentary from Human Rights Watch₂₁, opposing gender inequality₂₂, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₃, supporting press freedom₂₄, its Global Peace Index rating₂₅ and in fighting corruption₂₆. LGBT folk experience ill-treatment, extortion, and discrimination, both from wider society and the government₂₇. The government sometimes persecutes, wrongly imprisons and harasses human rights defenders and 2017 took further steps to limit the civil freedom of peaceful assembly₂₇. Allegations of torture are largely ignored (of 435 complains in 2016, 400 were not investigated)₂₇.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Kyrgyzstan

5. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)28
Pos.		Lower is better %28
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
36	Greece	71
37	Italy	72
38	Moldova	72
39	Kyrgyzstan	72
40	Armenia	73
41	Mexico	73
42	Poland	75
43	Cyprus	75
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)29
Pos.		Higher is better29
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
43	Albania	8
44	Dominican Rep.	7
45	Croatia	7
46	Kyrgyzstan	7
47	Cambodia	7
48	Moldova	6
49	Italy	6
50	Laos	5
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₀:

Christian	11.4%
Muslim	88%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.4%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 99.5% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (7%). This is due to the so-called 'Census Effect', whereby many put down a religion for cultural reasons rather than because it reflects their beliefs. In highly Christian countries, as many as half of those who say they're a Christian lack any connection to a Church, and do not hold Christian beliefs (such as believing in God!).

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 99.8% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 72% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states simply: Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%₃₁.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

6. The Internet

#internet #Kyrgyzstan #politics #the_internet

Freedom On The Internet (2012)32
Pos.		Lower is better32
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
15	Nigeria	33
16	S. Korea	34
17	Uganda	34
18	Kyrgyzstan	35
19	Mexico	37
20	India	39
21	Indonesia	42
22	Libya	43
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

Internet Users (2016)33
Pos.		Higher is better33
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
125	Bhutan	37%
126	Mongolia	36%
127	India	35%
128	Kyrgyzstan	34%
129	Egypt	33%
130	Cuba	32%
131	Micronesia	31%
132	Vanuatu	31%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)34
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio34
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
90	El Salvador	0.0
91	Kenya	0.0
92	Cameroon	0.0
93	Kyrgyzstan	0.0
94	Cambodia	0.0
95	Belarus	0.0
96	Azerbaijan	0.0
97	Angola	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

7. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #health #Kyrgyzstan #mental_health #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)22
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100022
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
92	Pakistan	38.7
93	Haiti	39.3
94	Syria	39.4
95	Kyrgyzstan	39.6
96	Georgia	39.7
97	Barbados	40.7
98	Vanuatu	43.1
99	Thailand	44.6
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)35
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita35
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
68	Zambia	4.0
69	Guinea-Bissau	4.0
70	Ethiopia	4.2
71	Kyrgyzstan	4.3
72	Kenya	4.3
73	Turkmenistan	4.3
74	UAE	4.3
75	India	4.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)36
Pos.		Lower is better Rank36
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
83	Croatia	83
84	Indonesia	84
85	Bolivia	85
86	Kyrgyzstan	86
87	Moldova	87
88	Syria	88
89	Azerbaijan	89
90	Uganda	90
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)37
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %37
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
34	Russia	97.0
35	Guyana	97.0
36	Slovakia	97.0
37	Kyrgyzstan	96.7
38	Brazil	96.7
39	Jordan	96.6
40	Brunei	96.6
41	Spain	96.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014)38
Pos.		Lower is better38
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
102	Bangladesh	665
103	Morocco	671
104	New Zealand	680
105	Kyrgyzstan	683
106	Qatar	698
107	UAE	715
108	Namibia	740
109	Papua New Guinea	826
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)39
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k39
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
43	Thailand	15.8
44	Australia	16.4
45	El Salvador	16.5
46	Kyrgyzstan	17.7
47	Netherlands	18.6
48	Luxembourg	19.3
49	Portugal	19.6
50	Singapore	20.6
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

8. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries