This project was co-financed by the European Refugee Fund Country Fact Sheet Of the Austrian Country of Origin Information Department Kyrgizstan Vienna, May 2014 Remark Produced by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), this country fact sheet (CFS) is part of the “production of country fact sheets on the economic and socioeconomic situation of selected countries of origin” project, which was funded by the Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) and the European Refugee Fund (EFF). Anmerkungen Die Informationen aus dem Country Fact Sheet (Mai 2014) wurden von IOM im Zuge des Projektes der Staatendokumentation „Länderinformationen zur sozioökonomischen Lage in ausgewählten Herkunftsländern“ recherchiert. Dieses Projekt wurde im Rahmen des Europäischen Flüchtlingsfonds und des Bundesamtes für Fremdenwesen und Asyl finanziert. .BFA Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl Seite 2 von 97 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 6 1.1. Methodology and Sources .................................................................................... 7 2. GENERAL INFORMATION ............................................................................................ 8 2.1. Geography ............................................................................................................. 8 2.2. Climate ................................................................................................................... 8 2.3. Natural Resources ................................................................................................. 8 2.4. Land Use ................................................................................................................ 8 2.5. Population ............................................................................................................. 9 2.5.1. Age Distribution ............................................................................................. 9 2.5.2. Birth Rate ........................................................................................................ 9 2.5.3. Mortality .........................................................................................................10 2.5.4. Literacy Rate..................................................................................................10 2.6. Ethnic Minorities ..................................................................................................11 2.7. Religions ...............................................................................................................11 2.8. Languages ............................................................................................................12 2.9. National Holidays .................................................................................................12 3. INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE ....................................................................................13 3.1. General information .............................................................................................13 3.2. The President of the Kyrgyz Republic ................................................................13 3.3. Executive Power ...................................................................................................14 3.4. Legislative power .................................................................................................14 3.5. Judicial Power ......................................................................................................15 3.6. International Actors Working in the Country .....................................................15 4. ECONOMY ....................................................................................................................20 4.1. General Information .............................................................................................20 4.2. Currency ...............................................................................................................20 4.3. GDP .......................................................................................................................21 4.4. Role of Sectors .....................................................................................................22 4.4.1. Industry ..........................................................................................................22 4.4.2. Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry ...............................................................23 4.4.3. Services .........................................................................................................23 4.5. Workforce and Unemployment ............................................................................24 4.6. Inflation .................................................................................................................25 4.7. State Budget .........................................................................................................26 4.7.1. Revenues .......................................................................................................26 4.7.2. Expenditures .................................................................................................26 4.7.3. State Debt ......................................................................................................27 4.8. Current Account ...................................................................................................27 4.8.1. Export.............................................................................................................27 4.8.2. Import .............................................................................................................28 4.9. Reserves of Foreign Currency and Gold ............................................................28 4.10. Investments .......................................................................................................29 4.11. Development Assistance .................................................................................31 4.12. Links and Contacts ...........................................................................................31 5. INFRASTRUCTURE .....................................................................................................33 5.1. Banking System ...................................................................................................33 5.2. Telecommunication ..............................................................................................34 5.2.1. Telephone ......................................................................................................34 5.2.2. Internet ...........................................................................................................35 5.2.3. Telephone Codes of Kyrgyzstan ..................................................................36 5.2.4. Telephones of Emergency Services ............................................................36 5.3. Postal Services .....................................................................................................36 5.4. Transportation ......................................................................................................37 .BFA Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl Seite 3 von 97 5.4.1. Roads .............................................................................................................37 5.4.2. Railroad Transportation ................................................................................38 5.4.3. Civil Aviation .................................................................................................38 5.5. Energy and Electricity ..........................................................................................39 5.5.1. Power Supply ................................................................................................39 5.6. Water Resources ..................................................................................................40 5.7. Agriculture ............................................................................................................40 5.7.1. Arable farming ...............................................................................................41 5.7.2. Cattle Breeding ..............................................................................................41 5.7.3. Water Management .......................................................................................41 6. SOCIOECONOMIC SITUATION ...................................................................................42 6.1. General Information .............................................................................................42 6.1.1. Human Development Index ..........................................................................42 6.1.2. Poverty ...........................................................................................................42 6.1.3. Other Criteria of Well-Being .........................................................................42 6.2. Social System .......................................................................................................43 6.2.1. General Information ......................................................................................43 6.2.2. Minimum Salary .............................................................................................44 6.2.3. State Allowances