Tajikistan

Tajikistan, a mountainous, landlocked country in central Asia, is a former republic of the Soviet Union. It became independent in 1991, and experienced civil war from 1992 to 1997. Although currently at peace, it remains one of the poorest countries among the former Soviet Republics: nearly half the labor force works abroad, and remittances are an import source of income. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita was $2,100 in 2008, with moderate inequality: the Gini index is 32.6 with the lowest decile earning 3.3 percent of the income, while the highest decile earns 25.6 percent.

Population in 2009 was estimated at 7.4 million, with a predominantly young population, as is typical of developing nations. The median age of the population is 21.9 years; 34.3 percent of the populace are aged 14 years or younger, while only 3.6 percent are 65 years or older. The population growth rate is 1.9 percent, with a birth rate of 27.2 per 1,000 (the highest among eastern European and former Soviet countries), and a total fertility rate (an estimate of the number of children born per woman) of 2.9. The sex ratio is almost even at 0.99 males per female, with women predominating in the 65-and-over age group (0.74 males per female). Life expectancy at birth is 62.3 years for males and 68.5 years for females. The populace is primarily Tajik (79.9 percent) and Uzbek (15.3 percent), and association by religious sect is Sunni Muslim (85 percent) or Shia Muslim (5 percent). Literacy is almost universal at 99.7 percent for men and 99.2 percent for women.