Overview
The UNHCR Representation to Central Asia is based in Almaty, managing UNHCR activities across the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Since their independence in 1991, Central Asian countries have generously sheltered thousands of people fleeing war, persecution, or human rights violations. Central Asia was also home to a considerable stateless population – largely a result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. UNHCR now works with Central Asian governments to support their protection of forcibly displaced and stateless people, focusing on strengthening local ownership of and investment in quality asylum systems, pursuing opportunities for local integration of refugees, eradicating statelessness, and building capacity to respond to emergencies.
Refugees in Central Asia JSON 
8,866
Last updated 30 Jun 2024
Source - Government, UNHCR 
Refugees by Location JSON  .CSV 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan Government 30 Jun 2024   3.6% 317
Kyrgyzstan Government 30 Jun 2024   3.1% 272
Tajikistan UNHCR 30 Jun 2024   93.2% 8,259
Turkmenistan UNHCR 30 Jun 2024   0.1% 13
Uzbekistan UNHCR 30 Jun 2024   0.1% 5

Refugee-like in Central Asia JSON 
106,212
Last updated 30 Jun 2024
Source - UNHCR 
People in refugee-like situations by Location JSON 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan UNHCR 30 Jun 2024   61.7% 65,511
Kyrgyzstan UNHCR 30 Jun 2024   24.0% 25,476
Tajikistan UNHCR 30 Jun 2024   2.6% 2,775
Turkmenistan UNHCR 30 Jun 2024   3.3% 3,500
Uzbekistan UNHCR 30 Jun 2024   8.4% 8,950

People in refugee-like situation refers to a category which is descriptive in nature and includes groups of people who are outside their country or territory of origin and who face protection risks similar to those of refugees, but for whom refugee status has, for practical or other reasons, not been ascertained. For Uzbekistan, people in refugee-like situations include Afghan nationals residing temporarily in Uzbekistan. This is according to publicly accessible information, as there are no official data provided by the Government of Uzbekistan.

Asylum-seekers in Central Asia JSON 
4,956
Last updated 30 Jun 2024
Source - Government, UNHCR 
Asylum-seekers by Location JSON  .CSV 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan Government 30 Jun 2024   7.1% 352
Kyrgyzstan Government 30 Jun 2024   50.1% 2,482
Tajikistan UNHCR, Government 30 Jun 2024   42.8% 2,122

Stateless persons in Central Asia JSON 
36,994
Last updated 30 Jun 2024
Source - UNHCR, Government, NGO 
Stateless persons by Location JSON 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan UNHCR, Government 30 Jun 2024   21.7% 8,019
Kyrgyzstan UNHCR, Government 30 Jun 2024   0.2% 60
Tajikistan UNHCR, Government 30 Jun 2024   9.8% 3,629
Turkmenistan NGO 30 Jun 2024   7.5% 2,790
Uzbekistan Government 30 Jun 2024   60.8% 22,496

  Latest Documents
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    Central Asia #IBelong Campaign Achievements - October 2024

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    Publish date: 28 October 2024 (1 month ago)
    Create date: 28 October 2024 (1 month ago)
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    UNHCR Operational Update June 2024 - September 2024 | Central Asia

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    Publish date: 18 October 2024 (2 months ago)
    Create date: 28 October 2024 (1 month ago)
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    Central Asia #IBelong Campaign Achievements 2023

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    Publish date: 12 July 2024 (5 months ago)
    Create date: 12 July 2024 (5 months ago)
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    UNHCR Representation to Central Asia - Population figures at a glance, 2023

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    Publish date: 16 April 2024 (8 months ago)
    Create date: 16 April 2024 (8 months ago)
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    Afghan Returns - South West Asia Quarterly Update, 2023 Q4

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    Publish date: 19 March 2024 (9 months ago)
    Create date: 19 March 2024 (9 months ago)
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    Voluntary Repatriation of Afghan Refugees - South West Asia Quarterly Update, 2023 Q3

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    Publish date: 18 October 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 18 October 2023 (1 year ago)
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    Publish date: 28 October 2024 (1 month ago)
    Create date: 28 October 2024 (1 month ago)
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    Central Asia #IBelong Campaign Achievements 2023

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    Publish date: 12 July 2024 (5 months ago)
    Create date: 12 July 2024 (5 months ago)
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    UNHCR Representation to Central Asia - Sub-Regional Overview Map

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    Publish date: 23 April 2024 (7 months ago)
    Create date: 23 April 2024 (7 months ago)
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    UNHCR Representation to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - subregional map

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    Publish date: 1 August 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 1 August 2023 (1 year ago)
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    Asia - UNHCR Presence - 22 August 2017

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    Asia - UNHCR Presence - 22 August 2017
    Publish date: 20 July 2020 (4 years ago)
    Create date: 28 August 2017 (7 years ago)
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    Afghanistan Regional Refugee Response Plan Summary 2023

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    Afghanistan Regional Refugee Response Plan Summary 2023
    Publish date: 9 March 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 10 March 2023 (1 year ago)
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    Afghanistan Situation RRP - Mid-year Report 2023

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    Publish date: 27 October 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 27 October 2023 (1 year ago)
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    Regional Refugee Response Plan 2022 - Final Report

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    Publish date: 8 May 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 8 May 2023 (1 year ago)
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    Regional Refugee Response Plan 2023 - Afghanistan Situation

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    Publish date: 16 March 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 16 March 2023 (1 year ago)
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    Tajikistan: Results Monitoring Survey (RMS) Report 2023

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    Tajikistan: Results Monitoring Survey (RMS) Report 2023
    Publish date: 20 June 2024 (6 months ago)
    Create date: 20 June 2024 (6 months ago)
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    UNHCR Afghanistan Border Monitoring Report January-December 2023

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    UNHCR Afghanistan Border Monitoring Report January-December 2023
    Publish date: 25 April 2024 (7 months ago)
    Create date: 25 April 2024 (7 months ago)
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    UNHCR Afghanistan Voluntary Repatriation update 2022

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    Publish date: 22 March 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 22 March 2023 (1 year ago)
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    UNHCR RBAP 2022 Cash-Based Interventions in the Region

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    Publish date: 19 April 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 19 April 2023 (1 year ago)
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    UNHCR Afghanistan Situation Update - 1 April 2024

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    Publish date: 30 April 2024 (7 months ago)
    Create date: 1 May 2024 (7 months ago)
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    Afghanistan Situation Update - 1 January 2024

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    Publish date: 22 January 2024 (11 months ago)
    Create date: 22 January 2024 (10 months ago)
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    Afghanistan Situation Update - 1 December 2023

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    Publish date: 21 December 2023 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 21 December 2023 (1 year ago)
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    UNHCR Operational Update June 2024 - September 2024 | Central Asia

    Document
    Publish date: 18 October 2024 (2 months ago)
    Create date: 28 October 2024 (1 month ago)
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    UNHCR Operational Update March 2024 - May 2024 | Central Asia

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    Publish date: 20 June 2024 (6 months ago)
    Create date: 20 June 2024 (6 months ago)
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    UNHCR Operational Update December 2023 - February 2024 | Central Asia

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    Publish date: 4 April 2024 (8 months ago)
    Create date: 4 April 2024 (8 months ago)
    •   View all (66)
    UNHCR is grateful for contributions directly to operations in Central Asia, as well as donors of unearmarked and flexible funding, including from: Australia | Belgium | Denmark | España con ACNUR | European Union | France | Ireland | Japan for UNHCR | Netherlands (Kingdom of) | Norway | Private donors in the Republic of Korea | Private donors in Italy | Republic of Korea | Sweden | Switzerland | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | U.S.A.

    Funding (2024)
    $10,033,900
    Total appeal
    Date of Funding Data 31 August 2024 (3 months ago)
    UNHCR Central Asia HELP
      UNHCR Central Asia News and Stories
    Five things to know about statelessness [18 Sep 2024]
    Statelessness affects millions of people globally, restricting their lives and opportunities. Here’s what you need to know about how it happens and what is being done to address it.
    UNHCR and IOM Reinforce Partnership to Support Afghan Refugees in Tajikistan [10 Sep 2024]
    On September 6, 2024, the heads of UNHCR Tajikistan and IOM Tajikistan conducted a joint visit to the Ariana Educational Center in Vahdat, home to a significant Afghan refugee population. The mission centered on reviewing educational services provided to Afghan refugees and discussing future interventions with the center’s leadership.
    Media outlets explore statelessness and the impact on Central Asian communities [2 Sep 2024]
    With 2024 marking the final year of the global #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness, governments, UN, civil society, academia and more are accelerating efforts to achieve its goals, eradicating statelessness once and for all.
      View all

      UNHCR Central Asia Microdata Library

    The UNHCR Microdata Library (MDL) contains unit-level microdata collected directly by UNHCR or indirectly through its partners. Metadata, reports, or survey questionnaires are also provided for complementary information on the datasets. All datasets on the MDL are anonymized and available to researchers and humanitarian organizations upon request. Organizations which collect relevant data are highly encouraged to submit datasets for dissemination through the MDL.

  • Post-Distribution Monitoring of Cash-Based Intervention 2023

    Kazakhstan, 2023   MicroData View details | Get Microdata
    Authoring Entity: UNHCR
    Published: 28 December 2023

  • Post-Distribution Monitoring of Cash-Based Intervention 2023

    Kyrgyzstan, 2023   MicroData View details | Get Microdata
    Authoring Entity: UNHCR
    Published: 26 January 2024

  • Results Monitoring Survey 2023

    Tajikistan, 2023   MicroData View details | Get Microdata
    Authoring Entity: UNHCR
    Published: 01 April 2024
    • UNHCR Central Asia Social Media
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    For more information, please contact the following focal point(s)

    For any inquiry kazal@unhcr.org