# Demographics of Tajikistan

The Demographics of Tajikistan is about the demography of the population of Tajikistan, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.

## Population size and structure

9,275,787 (2019 est.) According to Worldmeters
Tajikistan's main ethnic group are the Tajiks, with minorities such as the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, and a small Russian minority. Because not everyone in Tajikistan is an ethnic Tajik, the non-Tajik citizens of the country are referred to as Tajikistani. The official nationality of any person from Tajikistan is a Tajikistani, while the ethnic Tajik majority simply call themselves Tajik.
Contemporary Tajiks are an Iranian people. In particular, they are descended from ancient Eastern Iranian peoples of Central Asia, such as the Soghdians and the Bactrians, with an admixture of Western Iranian Persians as well as non-Iranian peoples.
Until the 20th century, people in the region used two types of distinction to identify themselves: way of life - either nomadic or sedentary - and place of residence. By the late nineteenth century, the Tajik and Uzbek peoples, who had lived in proximity for centuries and often used each other's languages, did not perceive themselves as two distinct nationalities. The modern labels were imposed artificially when Central Asia was divided into five Soviet republics in the 1920s.
Historically, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were also home to Bukharan Jews, who trace their ancestry to the Lost Tribes of Israel taken captive by the Babylonians in the 7th century BC, but almost no Bukharian Jews are left in Tajikistan.

### Age structure

Source:
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 3 987 517 | 3 909 796 | 7 897 313 | 100 |
| 0-4 | 555 543 | 522 110 | 1 077 653 | 13.65 |
| 5-9 | 437 711 | 414 701 | 852 412 | 10.79 |
| 10-14 | 440 884 | 419 105 | 859 989 | 10.89 |
| 15-19 | 436 357 | 420 499 | 856 856 | 10.85 |
| 20-24 | 429 738 | 424 831 | 854 569 | 10.82 |
| 25-29 | 363 432 | 358 886 | 722 318 | 9.15 |
| 30-34 | 271 966 | 265 850 | 537 816 | 6.81 |
| 35-39 | 225 366 | 227 780 | 453 146 | 5.74 |
| 40-44 | 202 816 | 208 317 | 411 132 | 5.21 |
| 45-49 | 181 790 | 189 145 | 370 934 | 4.70 |
| 50-54 | 156 158 | 160 512 | 316 669 | 4.01 |
| 55-59 | 100 176 | 104 798 | 204 974 | 2.60 |
| 60-64 | 64 192 | 67 836 | 132 028 | 1.67 |
| 65-69 | 36 014 | 33 300 | 69 314 | 0.88 |
| 70-74 | 38 813 | 38 360 | 77 172 | 0.98 |
| 75-79 | 24 913 | 28 119 | 53 032 | 0.67 |
| 80-84 | 14 691 | 16 110 | 30 801 | 0.39 |
| 85-89 | 5 432 | 6 682 | 12 114 | 0.15 |
| 90-94 | 1 211 | 2 114 | 3 324 | 0.04 |
| 95-99 | 268 | 491 | 758 | 0.01 |
| 100+ | 52 | 257 | 309 | <0.01 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0-14 | 1 434 138 | 1 355 916 | 2 790 054 | 35.33 |
| 15-64 | 2 431 985 | 2 428 447 | 4 860 432 | 61.55 |
| 65+ | 121 394 | 125 433 | 246 827 | 3.13 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 4 078 857 | 3 995 409 | 8 074 266 | 100 |
| 0-4 | 564 736 | 528 451 | 1 093 187 | 13.54 |
| 5-9 | 453 224 | 428 754 | 881 978 | 10.92 |
| 10-14 | 437 293 | 415 432 | 852 725 | 10.56 |
| 15-19 | 440 389 | 422 520 | 862 909 | 10.69 |
| 20-24 | 428 230 | 422 055 | 850 284 | 10.53 |
| 25-29 | 382 376 | 379 040 | 761 416 | 9.43 |
| 30-34 | 286 675 | 279 681 | 566 356 | 7.01 |
| 35-39 | 230 478 | 231 505 | 461 983 | 5.72 |
| 40-44 | 206 328 | 211 812 | 418 139 | 5.18 |
| 45-49 | 184 234 | 191 988 | 376 222 | 4.66 |
| 50-54 | 163 910 | 168 577 | 332 487 | 4.12 |
| 55-59 | 108 532 | 113 347 | 221 879 | 2.75 |
| 60-64 | 69 788 | 74 346 | 144 133 | 1.79 |
| 65-69 | 37 799 | 36 790 | 74 589 | 0.92 |
| 70-74 | 37 495 | 36 388 | 73 883 | 0.92 |
| 75-79 | 25 173 | 28 084 | 53 256 | 0.66 |
| 80-84 | 14 482 | 16 838 | 31 319 | 0.39 |
| 85-89 | 6 091 | 7 046 | 13 136 | 0.16 |
| 90-94 | 1 301 | 2 108 | 3 408 | 0.04 |
| 95-99 | 262 | 434 | 696 | 0.01 |
| 100+ | 69 | 218 | 287 | <0.01 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0-14 | 1 455 253 | 1 372 637 | 2 827 890 | 35.02 |
| 15-64 | 2 500 932 | 2 494 866 | 4 995 798 | 61.87 |
| 65+ | 122 672 | 127 906 | 250 578 | 3.10 |
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 4 724 044 | 4 589 723 | 9 313 767 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 604 646 | 538 522 | 1 143 168 | 12.27 |
| 5–9 | 572 947 | 528 515 | 1 101 462 | 11.83 |
| 10–14 | 486 486 | 459 827 | 946 313 | 10.16 |
| 15–19 | 430 596 | 408 418 | 839 014 | 9.01 |
| 20–24 | 433 864 | 421 271 | 855 135 | 9.18 |
| 25–29 | 427 540 | 419 755 | 847 295 | 9.10 |
| 30–34 | 398 523 | 400 106 | 798 629 | 8.57 |
| 35–39 | 304 697 | 298 972 | 603 669 | 6.48 |
| 40–44 | 237 475 | 237 835 | 475 310 | 5.10 |
| 45–49 | 208 346 | 214 686 | 423 032 | 4.54 |
| 50–54 | 183 206 | 192 067 | 375 273 | 4.03 |
| 55–59 | 166 874 | 175 280 | 342 154 | 3.67 |
| 60–64 | 114 298 | 121 451 | 235 749 | 2.53 |
| 65-69 | 70 002 | 76 881 | 146 883 | 1.58 |
| 70-74 | 35 648 | 38 794 | 74 442 | 0.80 |
| 75-79 | 24 460 | 25 412 | 49 872 | 0.54 |
| 80-84 | 14 826 | 18 668 | 33 494 | 0.36 |
| 85-89 | 6 462 | 9 532 | 15 994 | 0.17 |
| 90-94 | 2 337 | 2 337 | 4 930 | 0.05 |
| 95-99 | 741 | 1 088 | 1 829 | 0.02 |
| 100+ | 70 | 50 | 120 | <0.01 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 1 664 079 | 1 526 864 | 3 190 943 | 34.26 |
| 15–64 | 2 905 419 | 2 889 841 | 5 795 260 | 62.22 |
| 65+ | 154 546 | 173 018 | 327 564 | 3.52 |

## Vital statistics
### UN estimates

| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR$^1$ | CDR$^1$ | NC$^1$ | TFR$^1$ |
| 1950-1955 | 74 000 | 20 000 | 54 000 | 42.7 | 15.4 | 27.3 | 5.40 |
| 1955-1960 | 89 000 | 26 000 | 63 000 | 47.9 | 15.8 | 32.1 | 6.20 |
| 1960-1965 | 111 000 | 30 000 | 81 000 | 47.9 | 14.7 | 33.2 | 6.80 |
| 1965-1970 | 110 000 | 30 000 | 80 000 | 43.6 | 12.8 | 30.8 | 7.00 |
| 1970-1975 | 127 000 | 30 000 | 97 000 | 41.5 | 11.6 | 29.9 | 6.83 |
| 1975-1980 | 138 000 | 33 000 | 105 000 | 39.7 | 10.5 | 29.2 | 5.90 |
| 1980-1985 | 164 000 | 34 000 | 130 000 | 42.0 | 10.2 | 31.8 | 5.60 |
| 1985-1990 | 198 000 | 34 000 | 164 000 | 42.8 | 9.7 | 33.1 | 5.50 |
| 1990-1995 | 206 000 | 52 000 | 154 000 | 37.4 | 9.6 | 27.8 | 4.88 |
| 1995-2000 | 195 000 | 49 000 | 146 000 | 32.7 | 7.8 | 24.9 | 4.29 |
| 2000-2005 | 185 000 | 45 000 | 140 000 | 28.5 | 6.4 | 22.1 | 3.60 |
| 2005-2010 | 187 000 | 43 000 | 144 000 | 29.5 | 5.7 | 23.8 | 3.50 |
| 2010-2015 | | | | 30.2 | 5.3 | 24.9 | 3.50 |
| 2015-2020 | | | | 27.9 | 5.1 | 22.8 | 3.28 |
| 2020-2025 | | | | 24.9 | 5.0 | 19.9 | 3.09 |
| 2025-2030 | | | | 22.4 | 5.1 | 17.3 | 2.93 |
| 2030-2035 | | | | 21.3 | 5.3 | 16.0 | 2.79 |
| 2035-2040 | | | | 20.9 | 5.6 | 15.3 | 2.66 |
| $^1$ CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births |||||||||

### Registered births and deaths

| | Average population | Live births in thousands | Deaths in thousands | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Crude migration rate (per 1000) | TFR |
| 1950 | 1,526,140 | 46,571 | 12,543 | 34,028 | 30.4 | 8.2 | 22.2 | |
| 1951 | 1,582,465 | 48,407 | 12,384 | 36,023 | 30.5 | 7.8 | 22.7 | 14.2 |
| 1952 | 1,637,708 | 54,931 | 12,562 | 42,369 | 33.4 | 7.6 | 25.8 | 9.1 |
| 1953 | 1,692,875 | 54,697 | 14,530 | 40,167 | 32.4 | 8.6 | 23.8 | 9.9 |
| 1954 | 1,748,475 | 56,946 | 13,045 | 43,901 | 32.9 | 7.5 | 25.4 | 7.4 |
| 1955 | 1,805,209 | 60,335 | 15,812 | 44,523 | 33.8 | 8.9 | 25.0 | 7.4 |
| 1956 | 1,863,791 | 62,960 | 10,894 | 52,066 | 34.2 | 5.9 | 28.3 | 4.2 |
| 1957 | 1,924,944 | 62,966 | 10,838 | 52,128 | 33.1 | 5.7 | 27.4 | 5.4 |
| 1958 | 1,989,603 | 56,826 | 11,548 | 45,278 | 29.1 | 5.9 | 23.2 | 10.4 |
| 1959 | 2,058,891 | 60,978 | 11,024 | 49,954 | 30.3 | 5.5 | 24.8 | 10.0 |
| 1960 | 2,131,991 | 69,715 | 10,670 | 59,045 | 33.5 | 5.1 | 28.4 | 7.1 |
| 1961 | 2,208,026 | 73,653 | 11,035 | 62,618 | 34.0 | 5.1 | 28.9 | 6.8 |
| 1962 | 2,287,181 | 75,909 | 13,001 | 62,908 | 33.6 | 5.8 | 27.8 | 8.0 |
| 1963 | 2,368,868 | 80,733 | 13,042 | 67,691 | 34.5 | 5.6 | 28.9 | 6.8 |
| 1964 | 2,452,671 | 84,300 | 13,132 | 71,168 | 34.7 | 5.4 | 29.3 | 6.1 |
| 1965 | 2,538,295 | 92,448 | 16,474 | 75,974 | 36.8 | 6.6 | 30.2 | 4.7 |
| 1966 | 2,625,653 | 91,825 | 15,491 | 76,334 | 35.4 | 6.0 | 29.4 | 5.0 |
| 1967 | 2,714,959 | 93,988 | 17,546 | 76,442 | 35.2 | 6.6 | 28.6 | 5.4 |
| 1968 | 2,806,565 | 101,462 | 16,577 | 84,885 | 36.7 | 6.0 | 30.7 | 3.0 |
| 1969 | 2,899,853 | 98,831 | 17,390 | 81,441 | 34.7 | 6.1 | 28.6 | 4.6 |
| 1970 | 2,993,019 | 102,201 | 18,686 | 83,515 | 34.8 | 6.4 | 28.4 | 3.7 |
| 1971 | 3,085,961 | 111,839 | 17,173 | 94,666 | 36.8 | 5.7 | 31.1 | 0 |
| 1972 | 3,180,461 | 111,069 | 19,895 | 91,174 | 35.3 | 6.3 | 29.0 | 1.6 |
| 1973 | 3,277,487 | 115,157 | 23,343 | 91,814 | 35.5 | 7.2 | 28.3 | 2.2 |
| 1974 | 3,377,757 | 123,338 | 24,923 | 98,415 | 36.9 | 7.5 | 29.4 | 1.2 |
| 1975 | 3,482,124 | 127,464 | 27,965 | 99,499 | 37.0 | 8.1 | 28.9 | 2.0 |
| 1976 | 3,590,605 | 135,243 | 30,101 | 105,142 | 38.2 | 8.5 | 29.7 | 1.5 |
| 1977 | 3,703,010 | 132,875 | 32,110 | 100,765 | 36.4 | 8.8 | 27.6 | 3.7 |
| 1978 | 3,818,114 | 140,622 | 31,048 | 109,574 | 37.5 | 8.3 | 29.2 | 1.9 |
| 1979 | 3,932,682 | 145,431 | 29,822 | 115,609 | 37.8 | 7.7 | 30.1 | -0.1 |
| 1980 | 4,045,965 | 146,422 | 31,830 | 114,592 | 37.0 | 8.0 | 29.0 | -0.2 |
| 1981 | 4,160,744 | 155,508 | 31,637 | 123,871 | 38.3 | 7.8 | 30.5 | -2.1 |
| 1982 | 4,278,908 | 159,571 | 32,053 | 127,518 | 38.2 | 7.7 | 30.5 | -2.1 |
| 1983 | 4,401,502 | 164,710 | 32,553 | 132,157 | 38.3 | 7.6 | 30.7 | -2.0 |
| 1984 | 4,529,500 | 176,197 | 32,872 | 143,325 | 39.8 | 7.4 | 32.4 | -3.3 | 5.494 |
| 1985 | 4,660,598 | 182,716 | 32,014 | 150,702 | 40.0 | 7.0 | 33.0 | -4.1 | 5.498 |
| 1986 | 4,798,281 | 198,647 | 31,993 | 166,654 | 42.1 | 6.8 | 35.3 | -5.8 | 5.698 |
| 1987 | 4,946,293 | 204,450 | 33,543 | 170,907 | 41.9 | 6.9 | 35.0 | -4.2 | 5.662 |
| 1988 | 5,100,019 | 201,864 | 35,334 | 166,530 | 40.2 | 7.0 | 33.2 | -2.1 | 5.348 |
| 1989 | 5,264,331 | 200,430 | 33,395 | 167,035 | 38.7 | 6.5 | 32.3 | -0.1 | 5.104 |
| 1990 | 5,417,860 | 205,813 | 33,020 | 172,793 | 38.8 | 6.2 | 32.6 | -3.4 | 5.091 |
| 1991 | 5,556,305 | 215,269 | 33,584 | 181,685 | 39.1 | 6.1 | 33.0 | -7.4 | 5.094 |
| 1992 | 5,656,207 | 180,377 | 36,718 | 143,634 | 32.4 | 6.6 | 25.8 | -7.8 | 4.205 |
| 1993 | 5,717,805 | 186,920 | 49,326 | 137,261 | 33.5 | 8.9 | 24.6 | -13.7 | 4.320 |
| 1994 | 5,803,992 | 191,596 | 39,943 | 151,653 | 34.2 | 7.1 | 27.0 | -11.9 | 4.355 |
| 1995 | 5,916,173 | 193,182 | 34,274 | 158,908 | 34.1 | 6.0 | 28.0 | -8.7 | 4.385 |
| 1996 | 6,035,599 | 172,341 | 31,792 | 140,549 | 30.0 | 5.5 | 24.5 | -4.3 | 3.931 |
| 1997 | 6,117,068 | 178,127 | 28,710 | 149,417 | 30.6 | 4.9 | 25.7 | -12.2 | 4.064 |
| 1998 | 6,156,804 | 185,733 | 27,397 | 158,336 | 31.3 | 4.6 | 26.7 | -20.2 | 4.068 |
| 1999 | 6,189,564 | 180,888 | 25,495 | 155,393 | 29.8 | 4.2 | 25.6 | -20.3 | 3.852 |
| 2000 | 6,272,998 | 167,246 | 29,387 | 137,859 | 27.0 | 4.7 | 22.3 | -8.8 | 3.493 |
| 2001 | 6,408,809 | 171,623 | 32,015 | 139,608 | 27.2 | 5.1 | 22.1 | -0.4 | 3.487 |
| 2002 | 6,541,754 | 175,599 | 31,142 | 144,457 | 27.3 | 4.8 | 22.4 | -1.7 | 3.471 |
| 2003 | 6,672,491 | 177,938 | 33,185 | 144,753 | 27.1 | 5.1 | 22.0 | -2.0 | 3.420 |
| 2004 | 6,801,204 | 179,563 | 29,741 | 149,822 | 26.8 | 4.4 | 22.3 | -3.0 | 3.354 |
| 2005 | 6,929,144 | 180,790 | 31,520 | 149,270 | 26.4 | 4.6 | 21.8 | -3.0 | 3.274 |
| 2006 | 7,057,416 | 186,463 | 31,990 | 154,473 | 26.7 | 4.6 | 22.1 | -3.6 | 3.266 |
| 2007 | 7,188,390 | 200,010 | 33,686 | 166,324 | 28.1 | 4.7 | 23.3 | -4.7 | 3.5 |
| 2008 | 7,324,627 | 203,332 | 31,996 | 171,336 | 27.9 | 4.4 | 23.5 | -4.5 | 3.55 |
| 2009 | 7,468,595 | 199,826 | 32,332 | 167,504 | 26.8 | 4.3 | 22.5 | -2.8 | 3.48 |
| 2010 | 7,621,779 | 218,065 | 32,635 | 185,430 | 29.4 | 4.4 | 25.0 | -4.5 | 3.576 |
| 2011 | 7,784,818 | 226,652 | 33,958 | 192,693 | 28.7 | 4.3 | 24.4 | -3.0 | 3.49 |
| 2012 | 7,956,381 | 219,281 | 33,972 | 185,309 | 27.8 | 4.3 | 23.5 | -1.5 | 3.55 |
| 2013 | 8,136,610 | 209,417 | 31,706 | 177,711 | 25.9 | 3.9 | 22.0 | 0.7 | 3.54 |
| 2014 | 8,326,347 | 229,460 | 32,879 | 196,581 | 27.8 | 4.0 | 23.8 | -0.5 | 3.87 |
| 2015 | 8,524,062 | 237,500 | 33,500 | 204,000 | 28.1 | 4.0 | 24.1 | -0.4 | 4.00 |
| 2016 | 8,725,318 | 229,998 | 34,102 | 195,896 | 26.6 | 3.9 | 22.7 | 0.9 | 3.87 |
| 2017 | 8,925,525 | 226,852 | 32,152 | 194,700 | 25.4 | 3.6 | 21.7 | 1.2 | 3.61 |
| 2018 | 9,128,132 | 233,641 | 32,856 | 200,785 | 25.6 | 3.6 | 22.0 | 0.7 | 3.65 |
| 2019 | 9,337,003 | 234,383 | 33,537 | 200,846 | 25.4 | 3.6 | 21.8 | 1.1 | 3.69 |
| 2020 | 9,543,207 | 243,011 | 42,626 | 200,385 | 25.8 | 4.5 | 21.3 | 0.8 | 3.72 |
| 2021 | 9,750,064 | 206,501 | 39,112 | 167,389 | 22.1 | 4.0 | 18.1 | 3.6 | 3.75 |
| 2022 | 9,952,787 | 231,551 | 31,206 | 200,345 | 23.2 | 3.1 | 20.1 | 0.9 | 3.78 |
| 2023 | 10,159,805 | 250,285 | 32,397 | 217,888 | 24.6 | 3.2 | 21.4 | -1.6 | 3.80 |
| 2024 | | 253,500 | | | | | | | |

#### Current vital statistics

| Period | Live births | Deaths | Natural increase |
| January — June 2022 | 110,200 | 16,350 | +93,850 |
| January — June 2023 | 106,800 | 17,000 | +89,800 |
| Difference | -3,400 (-3%) | +650 (+4%) | -4,050 |

### Life expectancy

| Period | Life expectancy in Years | Period | Life expectancy in Years |
| 1950–1955 | 53.1 | 1985–1990 | 64.1 |
| 1955–1960 | 55.1 | 1990–1995 | 62.3 |
| 1960–1965 | 57.2 | 1995–2000 | 64.5 |
| 1965–1970 | 59.3 | 2000–2005 | 66.4 |
| 1970–1975 | 60.8 | 2005–2010 | 68.7 |
| 1975–1980 | 62.1 | 2010–2015 | 70.4 |
| 1980–1985 | 63.2 | | |

### Demographic and health surveys

Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and CBR (Crude Birth Rate):
| Year | CBR (Total) | TFR (Total) | CBR (Urban) | TFR (Urban) | CBR (Rural) | TFR (Rural) |
| 2012 | 33.9 | 3.8 (3.3) | 28.9 | 3.3 (2.9) | 35.6 | 3.9 (3.4) |
| 2017 | 33.4 | 3.8 (3.5) | 25.6 | 3.0 (2.8) | 36.1 | 4.0 (3.7) |
| 2023 | 27.1 | 3.5 | 25.4 | 3.2 | 27.8 | 3.5 |

### Regional birth data

There were slightly over 224 thousand births in Tajikistan in 2017, down from 230 thousand in 2016. Most births occurred in Khatlon Region (89 thousand births), followed by Sughd Region (61 thousand births) and the Districts of Republican Subordination (53 thousand births). The fewest births is recorded in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in eastern Tajikistan, with around 5,700 births. Dushanbe city recorded approximately 15,500 births in 2017.
The crude birth rate for Tajikistan was 25.4‰ in 2017, down from 28.1‰ two years earlier (in 2015). Khatlon Region has the highest birth rate (28.1‰) in 2017, while the city of Dushanbe has the lowest birth rate with 18.8‰.
Crude birth rate by division from 2000 to 2018 :
| Division | 2000 | 2002 | 2004 | 2006 | 2008 | 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 |
| Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region | 17.4 | 20.3 | 19.2 | 23.8 | 17.3 | 18.4 | 19.8 | 21.9 | 23.7 | 23.5 |
| Sughd Region | 25.1 | 25.4 | 23.9 | 24.0 | 25.8 | 29.4 | 27.6 | 28.2 | 24.9 | 24.2 |
| Khatlon Region | 28.6 | 29.0 | 31.9 | 29.4 | 30.5 | 31.1 | 29.4 | 31.1 | 30.0 | 28.5 |
| Dushanbe city | 28.5 | 25.6 | 20.9 | 20.4 | 25.6 | 24.1 | 22.8 | 16.5 | 17.5 | 18.4 |
| Districts of Republican Subordination | 28.1 | 28.8 | 26.0 | 27.9 | 28.8 | 30.2 | 28.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 25.9 |
| Tajikistan | 27.0 | 27.3 | 26.8 | 26.7 | 27.9 | 29.4 | 27.8 | 27.8 | 26.6 | 25.6 |

## Ethnic groups

Ethnic Groups in 2020 Census
* Tajiks 86.1%
* Uzbeks 11.3%
* Kyrgyz 0.4%
* Russians 0.3%
* Other 1.9%
* Tajik children
* Group of boys in Tajikistan
* A Tajik man in traditional headgear (2005).
* A Tajik woman and her son.
* Two young Tajik women
* A religious scholar from Tajikistan (2005)

### Ethnic makeup according to the population censuses from 1926 to 2020

Note: The category Tajiks also includes ethnic Pamiris, of which 65% are Shughni speakers, 13% are Rushani speakers, 12% speak Wakhi, 5% are Bartangi speakers, 3% are Yazgulyami speakers, 1.5% speak Khufi, and 0.8% are Ishkashimi speakers. In addition there are a few thousands speakers of Yagnobi. According to the 2000 census, excluding the people whose native languages are Pamiri or Yagnobi, Tajiks account for 77.6% of the population and Pamiris and Yagnobis account for 2.3%.
Population of Tajikistan according to ethnic group 1926–2020 :
| Ethnic group | census 1926 | census 1926 | census 1939 | census 1939 | census 1959 | census 1959 | census 1970 | census 1970 | census 1979 | census 1979 | census 1989 | census 1989 | census 2000 | census 2000 | census 2010 | census 2010 | census 2020 | census 2020 |
| Ethnic group | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
| Tajiks | 617,125 | 74.6 | 883,966 | 59.5 | 1,051,164 | 53.1 | 1,629,920 | 56.2 | 2,237,048 | 58.8 | 3,172,420 | 62.3 | 4,898,400 | 79.9 | 6,373,834 | 84.3 | 8,314,700 | 86.1 |
| Yagnobi | 1,829 | 0.2 | 883,966 | 59.5 | 1,051,164 | 53.1 | 1,629,920 | 56.2 | 2,237,048 | 58.8 | 3,172,420 | 62.3 | 4,898,400 | 79.9 | 6,373,834 | 84.3 | 8,314,700 | 86.1 |
| Uzbeks | 175,627 | 21.2 | 353,478 | 23.8 | 454,433 | 23.0 | 665,662 | 23.0 | 873,199 | 22.9 | 1,197,841 | 23.5 | 1,012,500 | 16.5 | 926,344 | 12.2 | 1,091,200 | 11.3 |
| Kyrgyz | 11,410 | 1.4 | 27,968 | 1.9 | 25,635 | 1.3 | 35,485 | 1.2 | 48,376 | 1.3 | 63,832 | 1.3 | 65,500 | 1.1 | 60,715 | 0.8 | 38,600 | 0.4 |
| Russians | 5,638 | 0.7 | 134,916 | 9.1 | 262,610 | 13.3 | 344,109 | 11.9 | 395,089 | 10.4 | 388,481 | 7.6 | 68,200 | 1.1 | 34,838 | 0.5 | 29,000 | 0.3 |
| Turkmen | 4,148 | 0.5 | 4,040 | 0.3 | 7,115 | 0.4 | 11,043 | 0.4 | 13,991 | 0.4 | 20,487 | 0.4 | 20,300 | 0.3 | 15,171 | 0.2 | 183,500 | 1.9 |
| Tatars | 950 | 0.1 | 18,296 | 1.2 | 56,893 | 2.9 | 70,803 | 2.4 | 79,529 | 2.1 | 79,442 | 1.6 | 19,000 | 0.3 | 6,495 | 0.1 | 183,500 | 1.9 |
| Arabs | 3,260 | 0.4 | 2,290 | 0.2 | 1,297 | 0.1 | 248 | 0.0 | 176 | 0.0 | 276 | 0.0 | 14,500 | 0.2 | 4,184 | 0.1 | 183,500 | 1.9 |
| Others | 7,180 | 0.9 | 60,137 | 4.0 | 120,750 | 6.1 | 142,332 | 4.9 | 158,812 | 4.2 | 169,824 | 3.3 | 29,100 | 0.5 | 142,921 | 1.9 | 183,500 | 1.9 |
| Total | 827,167 | 827,167 | 1,485,091 | 1,485,091 | 1,979,897 | 1,979,897 | 2,899,602 | 2,899,602 | 3,806,220 | 3,806,220 | 5,092,603 | 5,092,603 | 6,127,500 | 6,127,500 | 7,564,502 | 7,564,502 | 9,657,005 | 9,657,005 |
| $^1$ Source: . $^2$ Source: . $^3$ Source: . $^4$ Source: . $^5$ Source: . $^6$ Source: $^7$ including 51,000 Lakai, 15,100 Kongrat, 4,900 Katagan, 3,700 Barlos and 1,100 Yuz. $^8$ Source: , p. 7. including 65,555 Lakai, 38,078 Kongrat, 7,601 Katagan, 5,271 Barlos and 3,798 Yuz . $^9$Source |||||||||||||||||||

## Languages

Several dialects of Persian (Central Asian dialects of Persian) are spoken in Tajikistan and it is one of the two official languages of Tajikistan (officially referred to as Tajik). Russian is the official interethnic language and is widely used in both government and business. The different ethnic minorities speak different languages, for instance Uzbek, Turkmen, Kyrgyz and Khowar. In the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, Shughni as well as other Pamir languages are spoken. In the northern Yaghnob valley, the Yaghnobi language is still spoken.

## Religion

Religion in Tajikistan (2020) by ARDA :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Sunni Islam | Sunni Islam | 87.55% | 87.55% |
| Shia Islam | Shia Islam | 9.9% | 9.9% |
| No religion | No religion | 1.67% | 1.67% |
| Other | Other | 1.19% | 1.19% |
| Christianity | Christianity | 0.69% | 0.69% |
Religious demographics as of 2020.
* Sunni Islam 87.55%
* Shia Ismaili Islam 9.9%
* Other 3.55%