A report issued by the Tajik government paints a dire economic picture for the vast majority of citizens, noting that most do not earn enough money every month to afford basic necessities.

The report, compiled by the Presidential Statistical Agency, tries to put the best spin possible on a sorry situation. “In connection with the reform of the country’s economy, its transition to new market relations, the material living conditions of the population are changing significantly,” the report states. “The multi-structured nature of the economy affects the nature of employment of the working-age population, new sources of income have appeared, the number of unemployed and persons without permanent sources of income is increasing.”

The report shows that as of 2023, the typical Tajik family had about 920 somoni in monthly income per member of the household, or roughly $87 per month at official exchange rates. Of that amount, however, only an average of 359 somoni was employment income. Another 329 somoni per month per person was received by the average family via what appears to be remittances from abroad (labelled vaguely in the report as “other money inflow”), while the remainder was generated from food grown in small, private plots, government pensions, business and investment income and the sale of non-investment real estate.

The reported figures indeed substantiate that unemployment and poverty are widespread, and that remittances from labour migrants abroad remain a critical element of support for most Tajik families. Remittance income, however, is coming under pressure, as Russia, a major destination for the majority of Tajik labour migrants, has cracked down on Central Asian guest workers since the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow in the spring.

Compounding the grim family budget figures, the report shows the cost of living for most Tajik families is significantly outpacing their monthly income. Categorizing average monthly expenditures using the oblique terminology “all expended gross income,” the report states that most families need to spend 1,105 somoni per person per month on basic necessities. Almost 60 percent of monthly income goes towards food for the average family, the report shows.

This article first appeared on Eurasianet here.