THE ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS SITUATION IN KYRGYZSTAN

Cholpon CHOTAEVA

---

Cholpon Chotaeva, Ph.D. (Philos.), senior lecturer at the International University of Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)

---

Kyrgyzstan is a multiethnic and multi-confessional republic in which, according to the 1990 population census, more than 90 different ethnic groups live. The largest is represented by the Kyrgyz, who comprise 64.9% of the republic’s residents, followed by Uzbeks, 13.8%, and Russians, 12.5%. But significant changes have occurred in the ethnic structure of the population since this census was carried out. For example, the size of the Muslim ethnic groups has dramatically grown: the Kyrgyz by 40%, the Turks by 57%, the Dungans by 40%, the Uighurs by 27%, the Tajiks by 27%, and the Uzbeks by 21%, while the number of Christians has decreased. In particular, the percentage of Russians has decreased by 9%, Germans by 2%, and Ukrainians by 1.5%. All of this has created enormous shifts in the structure of believers. According to the data of the Commission for Religious Affairs under the Kyrgyzstan Government, the country’s population is currently broken down in terms of confession as follows: 80-84% of the residents are Muslims, 14-15% are Christians, and approximately 3% belong to other confessions.

The liberalization of sociopolitical life, building of a democratic society, and observation of human rights have promoted an increase in ethnic self-awareness among all the republic’s residents. It is expressed in the formation of national and cultural centers, the activity of which is aimed at reviving the native language, history, and culture of the republic’s ethnic groups. In turn, this ethnic renaissance has tilled the ground for……………….

---

Please fill subscription form to obtain full text of this jounal