Almost a Third of Tajiks Under 30 Doesn’t have a Job or Isn’t in School, Dushanbe Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 28 – Tajikistan’s State Statistical Agency reports that more than 700,000 young Tajiks aren’t employed or in school, 28,4 percent of that cohort, and a figure that could boost the country’s economy if they are used but is setting off alarm bells in Dushanbe because of the difficulties of keeping then in school or finding them jobs.

            The difficulties will only grow, sociologists in Tajikistan say, as migrant workers return from the Russian Federation and the population continues to grow, leading to the creation of a situation in which many young people may feel excluded and alienated and thus open to radicalism (asiaplus.news/2026/07/28/poteryannyj-potenczial-chem-strane-grozit-rost-chisla-molodyh-bez-raboty-i-professii/).

            Those are not the only reasons for concern, the specialists say. Another is that women form the overwhelming majority of young Tajiks not in school and without a job. Among women in this age group, 45 percent are women, while among men the figure is only 12 percent.

            Social norms, family restrictions, household responsibilities and taking care of children all push the share of women in the workforce down. Among all age groups, the statistical agency says, the share of women either employed or in school fell from 46.6 percent in 2004 to 34.6 percent in 2005.

            And yet another sign of difficulties ahead is that while the total number of crimes in Tajikistan continued to fall during the first half of 2026, the number committed by Tajiks under 30 increased.