Asia Plus: TJ leads in remittance share of economy

The Asia Plus article dated 11 March 2025, citing the World Bank report “The Journey Ahead: Supporting Successful Migration in Europe and Central Asia,” reports that in 2024 remittances from Tajik labour migrants accounted for 45 percent of Tajikistan’s GDP—the highest share in the world in relative terms. The report states that more than 80 percent of labour migrants from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan headed to Russia in 2024, while Uzbekistan’s flows were more diverse, with 57 percent to Russia, 15 percent to Kazakhstan and 10 percent to Ukraine. By comparison, remittances made up 24 percent of GDP in Kyrgyzstan and 14 percent in Uzbekistan. The article states that migration substantially reduces poverty: in Kyrgyzstan the poverty rate among remittance-receiving households is below 10 percent, versus above 50 percent without remittances, and in Uzbekistan estimates indicate the rate would rise from 9.6 percent to 16.8 percent without remittances. It states the ECA region hosts approximately 100 million migrants, one-third of the global migrant population, and that drivers include income disparities, demographic imbalances, climate change and armed conflicts. Key facts about Tajikistan cited from the World Bank report include that around 36 percent of households in the lowest-income category receive remittances monthly compared with 27 percent in the wealthiest; that remittances fell by 57 percent following the depreciation of the Russian ruble after the Ukraine conflict began and by more than 50 percent across Central Asia in April 2020 during COVID-19; that 80 percent of migrants are men and about 60 percent were unemployed before leaving; and that a new state migration service has been established.