Kyrgyz Republic is a comparatively young state with a very ancient and rich nomadic history and culture. It is essential to state from the very beginning two ongoing structural changes that impact the current development context and gender equality, and women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the country: the transition from socialism to capitalism and growing religious fundamentalism interventions.
The Kyrgyz Republic is a sovereign, democratic, and secular state. Kyrgyz Republic is a Parliamentary democracy. The country was part of the Soviet Union, and it became an independent state in 1991. The Kyrgyz Republic is a mountainous country in Central Asia with a population of 5.5 million people. The country shares borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China.
Kyrgyz Republic is multinational country with more than 80 nationalities. The majority are Kyrgyz, constituting more than 70 percent of the population. Other major ethnic groups are the Uzbek, Russians, Dungans, and Uigurs. Kyrgyz Republic consists of seven provinces: the Issyk-Kul, Djalal-Abad, Naryn, Batken, Talas, Chui, and Osh Oblast regions. Out of 5663,1 thousand people 3762, 9 thousand live in rural areas, or 66, 45 percent of the population.
This country profile briefly describes the context of Kyrgyzstan development and helps to understand the status, changes and challenges as well as actors in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). It helps to see connections between changing social, political and economic context and social economic, political social rights as well as sexual and the SRHR.