In 2025, labor migrants and compatriots living abroad funded the construction of 288 socio-economic facilities in Tajikistan, totaling over 388 million somoni. This was announced today, January 27, during a press conference by the Chairman of the Committee for Local Development, Kamoliddin Muminzod.
“Compatriots abroad built 288 facilities worth 388,134,000 somoni. These include social and economic sites—sports grounds, kindergartens and schools, canteens and hotels, and industrial enterprises. This volume also includes the construction and paving of roads,” Muminzod noted.
The official emphasized that these facilities were erected not only through the funds of labor migrants but also thanks to investments from Tajikistanis living abroad who are entrepreneurs or hold dual citizenship.
The Chairman added that these facilities were built within the framework of the Concept for Attracting Compatriots Abroad as Development Partners for the country.
Previously, the former chairman of this committee, Sharifjon Jumazoda, reported that during the years of independence, 272 facilities worth more than 500 million somoni had been built in Tajikistan using funds from migrants and compatriots abroad.
As an example, Jumazoda cited Umar Kremlev—the president of the International Boxing Association—whose father is Tajik and a native of the city of Hisor. According to him, Kremlev has built several facilities in Tajikistan.
It should be noted that for many years, Tajik migrants have shown initiative by raising funds to build schools, kindergartens, and other public facilities in their hometowns, as well as paving roads.
ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ Kamoliddin Muminzod
"Don’t mention migrants at all!"
The significant contribution of migrants and compatriots abroad to the republic's development often fails to receive proper coverage from certain officials and state media.
In 2023, a video surfaced on social media showing a television employee asking a local official not to use the term "labor migrants" when speaking about the improvement of a settlement. At the time, the clip caused a widespread public outcry.
During the interview, the official said: "…With the participation of migrants, who…" At that moment, the TV staffer interrupted him: "Don't say 'migrants,' brother! Don't mention migrants at all!"
Instead of the word "migrants," he advised using the phrase "worthy sons of this village."
Civil society activists and Tajik migrants themselves argued then that they remain on the sidelines of public attention, and their contribution to the country's development is undervalued and not properly highlighted.
Lack of transparency in migrant and remittance statistics
It should be noted that exact data on the number of Tajik citizens leaving for work in various countries is not officially published. However, every year hundreds of thousands—and according to Russian authorities, more than a million—Tajik migrants go to Russia for work. Despite hard labor, harassment, and discrimination by Russian structures, they earn and transfer billions of somoni back home.
Competent authorities in Tajikistan, including the National Bank, have not published data on the volume of labor migrant remittances for over 10 years, although the law does not classify this information as confidential. Furthermore, remittance volumes are tracked by international financial organizations.
According to unofficial data, in various years, the volume of labor migrant remittances has accounted for up to 40% of Tajikistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
