Demographics of Kyrgyzstan
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The World Almanac 2005 reported that Kyrgyzstan's population is slightly more than five million, estimating it at 5,081,429. Of those, 34.4% are under the age of 15 and 6.2% are over the age of 65. The country is rural; only about one-third (33.9%) of Kyrgyzstan's population live in urban areas. The average population density is 69 people per square mile (29 people per km²).
The nation's largest ethnic group is the Kyrgyz, a Turkic people. The Kyrgyz comprise 69.5% of the population and have historically been semi-nomadic herders, living in round tents called yurts and tending sheep, horses and yaks. This nomadic tradition continues to function seasonally (see transhumance) as herding families return to the high mountain pasture (or jailoo) in the summer. The retention of this nomadic heritage and the freedoms that it assumes continue to have an impact on the political atmosphere in the country. The name Kyrgyz, both for the people and for the nation itself, is said to mean "forty girls", a reference to the Manas of folklore unifying forty tribes against the Mongols.
Other ethnic groups include ethnic Russians (9.0%) concentrated in the North and Uzbeks (14.5%) living in the South. Small but noticeable minorities include Tatars (1.9), Uyghurs (1.1%), Tajiks (1.1%),Kazakhs (0.7%) and Ukrainians (0.5%), and other smaller ethnic minorities (1.7%). Of the formerly sizable Volga German community, exiled here by Stalin from their earlier homes in the Volga German Republic, most have returned to Germany, and only a few small groups remain. A small percentage of the population are also Soviet Koreans, meaning descendents of the former Korean residents of Vladivostok, whom Stalin had exiled to Central Asia (and the Caucasus) during the Second World War.
[edit] Demographics
Population: 5,213,898 (July 2006 est.)
Birth rate: 22.8 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 7.08 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 34.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.49 years
male: 64.48 years
female: 72.7 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (2000 est.)
The differences in the number of children by nationality are significant: Uzbeks (3.0 children), Tajiks (3.0 children), Turks (2.9), Kyrgyz (2.9), Dungans (2.8) Russians (1.7), Koreans (1.7), Germans (1.8), Ukrainians (2.1), Tatars (2.1), Kazakhs (2.3) and Ugyhurs (2.5). (Source is 1999 Kyrgyz census. It should be noted that the TFR for Russians in Kyrgyzstan is more than 60% higher than that in Russia and that for Ukrainians is 100% higher than that in Ukraine. TFR for Koreans in Kyrgyzstan is also very high compared to TFR of South Korea. Same is true for Germans.1
Nationality:
noun: Kyrgyzstani(s)
adjective: Kyrgyzstani
Ethnic groups: Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%,Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1% Ukrainian 1%, Ugyhur 1%, other 5.7%
According to the 1999 census,Stat Kg there were 3,128,147 Kara Kyrgyz and 42,657 Kazakh Kyrgyz together making up 65.8% of the population. There were also 664,950 Uzbeks; 603,201 Russians(12.5%); 51,766 Dungans/Khotons; 50,442 Ukrainians; 46,944 Uighurs; 45,438 Tatars; 42,636 Tadzhiks; 33,327 Turkish; 21,471 Germans (including Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites); 19,784 Koreans and 72,175 Others. Most of the Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Germans, Koreans and Others lived in Northeastern regions, especially around the city of Karakol. Most of the Dungans and Ugyhurs are found along the Chinese border. Most of the Tajiks and Uzbeks live in the Southern regions. The emigration of Non-Turkic people to Russia, Ukraine and Germany is now negligible partly due to the fact that Kyrgyzstan is the most tolerant central Asian nation.
There is a small Kalmyk minority living within eastern Kyrgyzstan, especially in villages in the Karakol region. These Kalmyks are those who remained when the bulk of the nation moved westwards in the early 16th century. The Kalmyk language and their traditions are dying out rapidly due to small numbers and majority pressures. Although some of these Kalmyks are now Muslims, most Kalmyks throughout the world remain Tibetan/Lamaist Buddhists. The Kalmyk culture has seen a resurgence of interest in the last 20 years, and most Kalmyks regard His Holiness the Dalai Lama as their spiritual leader.
[edit] See also
Religions: Muslim 85%, Russian Orthodox 10%, other 5%
Languages: Kirghiz (Kyrgyz) - official language, Russian - official language
note: in March 1996, the Kyrgyzstani legislature amended the constitution to make Russian an official language, along with Kyrgyz, in territories and work places where Russian-speaking citizens predominate.
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.7%
male: 99.3%
female: 98.1% (1989 est.)
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