Independent Tajikistan

Abstract

Tajikistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 9 September 1991. The country entered independence as one of the poorest states in the region. Its population was growing at the fastest rate in the former USSR—32.65 births per 1,000 people (2006 CIA est.)—doubling every 20 to 25 years and thus creating enormous pressure on the fragile environment of the mountains that occupy about 90 percent of its territory. The Tajiks account for 79.9 percent of the population, Uzbeks 15.3, Russians and others about 4.8 percent. Though Tajikistan had built a relatively well-diversified economy and experienced high economic growth from the 1930s through the 1970s, it experienced economic stagnation and slow growth throughout the 1980s. On the eve of independence Tajik society was in turmoil due to widespread social unrest, interethnic tensions and political confrontations.