Tajikistan - Demographics

Demographics

Tajikistan has a population of 7,349,145 (July 2009 est.) Tajiks who speak the Tajik language (a variety of Persian) are the main ethnic group, although there is a sizable minority of Uzbeks and Russians, whose numbers are declining due to emigration. In 1989, ethnic Russians made up 7.6% of the population. The Pamiris of Badakhshan are considered to belong to the larger group of Tajiks. All citizens of Tajikistan are called Tajiks.

The official and vernacular language of Tajikistan is Tajik although Russian is routinely used in business and communication. The use of Russian in official documents has been ruled out in 2009 although the Constitution still mentions it as the "language for inter-ethnic communication".

Despite its poverty, Tajikistan has a high rate of literacy due to the old Soviet system of free education, with an estimated 99.5% of the population having the ability to read and write. The majority of the population follow Sunni Islam. There is also a sizeable minority of Ismailis.

Bukharan Jews had lived in Tajikistan since the 2nd century BC, but today almost none are left. There is also a small population of Yaghnobi people who have lived in the mountainous district of Sughd Viloyat for many centuries. The German population in Tajikistan was 38,853 in 1979. Nearly one million Tajik men worked abroad in 2009. More than 70% of the female population lives in traditional villages.