Migration Situation in the Kyrgyz Republic from 1991 to 2005

According to various estimates, between 500,000 and 800,000 people have left Kyrgyzstan since gaining independence. As a result of this mass migration outflow, the economy of the country has suffered irreparable damage. The Republic has lost tens of thousands of qualified specialists, primarily engineers, educators, medical professionals, builders, and figures from science and culture.

Migration occurred in two stages. In the first wave, qualified specialists, engineers, doctors, and teachers—the foundation upon which Kyrgyzstan was formed as a state—left the country. In the second stage, in recent years, the most active citizens—the working-age population—have been leaving the country. According to experts, more than half of the entire working-age population has gone abroad for work. Many experts believe that these are natural processes that pose no danger. According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, the annual remittances to Kyrgyzstan from labor migrants from Russia alone amount to $125 million. Other estimates suggest that the monthly total income of labor migrants from the republic is $100 million. However, the country cannot depend on remittances from labor migrants; such a situation cannot exist indefinitely. Currently, the migration processes occurring in the republic pose the greatest threat to the stable and conflict-free development of society in Kyrgyzstan.

The first migration boom, triggered by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ill-considered language policy of the state (the Law "On the State Language of the Kyrgyz SSR" was adopted on September 23, 1989), interethnic conflicts (the Osh events of 1990), and a difficult economic situation, occurred at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s. By the time of the 1989 census, the share of Russians in the total population of Kyrgyzstan had decreased to 21.5%. According to this census, there were 916,560 Russians, 108,000 Ukrainians, 101,300 Germans, and 70,100 Tatars living in the republic.

The outflow of Russians and Russian-speaking populations from 1989 to 1991 amounted to 214,900 people. The peak of migration occurred in 1992-1993. In 1992, 103,700 people left the republic, and in 1993, 143,600 people (see Fig. 2.14). By national composition, the largest number of emigrants were Russian-speaking: from 1991 to 1993, 122,016 Russians, 25,426 Germans, and 15,918 Ukrainians left the republic.

Starting from 1994, external migration from the republic gradually decreased, reaching 17,800 people in 1997. This was primarily due to the relative macroeconomic stability observed in the republic during this period.

A special situation arose in 1999. The negative impact on the migration process was caused by the Batken events—the flow of forced migration increased by 13% compared to 1998, with a total of 17,800 people emigrating (15,700 in 1998). Uncertainty about the future and concern for their children's future led to an increase in migration outflow, mainly to Russia—10,100 people (to the CIS countries—14,500, to far abroad—3,300). A positive migration balance was maintained only with Tajikistan, from where refugees arrived. By ethnic composition, the distribution of emigrants was as follows: 52% were Russian-speaking, 9-10% were Uzbeks and Germans, 7% were Kyrgyz, and 5-6% were Tatars and Ukrainians.

According to sociological research, migration today has significantly become younger. While in the first half of the 1990s, older generations were leaving for Russia, currently, the main age of those leaving is 30-35 years. Children and adolescents make up 18%, older individuals account for 15%, and the working-age population constitutes 64% of the total number of emigrants.

Among the emigrants of working age, the number of individuals with a relatively high level of education has significantly increased—15%. Those with secondary vocational and general education accounted for 68%.

It is also important to emphasize that the emigration of the indigenous population of the republic is gradually increasing. Due to economic difficulties in Kyrgyzstan, there is a natural process of increasing labor export. In search of work, about 200,000 Kyrgyz emigrated between 1994 and 1997. From 2000 to 2004, the share of Kyrgyz who left the country was 7.2% of the total number of emigrants. According to some data, between 500,000 and 700,000 indigenous people of Kyrgyzstan are currently working in Russia.

In total, during the years of independence (1990-2005), the migration outflow from the republic amounted to 490,600 people, of which the Russian population accounted for 293,300 people, or 59.8% of the total. The largest outflow was to the CIS countries—308,500 people, of which 273,000 people left for Russia (88.5% of the total from the CIS countries, or 55.6% of the total outflow).

To halt the migration flow, the government of the republic has taken a number of radical measures. In June 1994, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic issued a decree "On Measures to Regulate Migration Processes in the Kyrgyz Republic," which granted official status to the Russian language. In 1999, by presidential decree, the State Agency for Migration and Demography was established under the Government of Kyrgyzstan. This structure is engaged in researching relevant processes in the state and preparing draft laws on this issue. As previously mentioned, in May 2000, the Law "On the Official Status of the Russian Language" was adopted. According to the presidential decree, a special interdepartmental commission was tasked with developing a state program of measures to regulate migration and create favorable conditions for the study and development of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan.