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 
9,234
Last updated 31 Dec 2025
Source - Government, UNHCR 
Refugees by Location JSON  .CSV 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan Government 31 Dec 2025   3.4% 317
Kyrgyzstan Government 31 Dec 2025   3.0% 279
Tajikistan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   93.4% 8,621
Turkmenistan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   0.1% 12
Uzbekistan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   0.1% 5

Refugee-like in Central Asia JSON 
4,935
Last updated 31 Dec 2025
Source - UNHCR 
People in refugee-like situations by Location JSON 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   82.2% 4,057
Kyrgyzstan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   17.8% 878

People in refugee-like situations refers to 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 not been ascertained for practical or other reasons. The figures presented are UNHCR estimates derived from government statistics and other publicly available information and sources.

Other People in Need of International Protection in Central Asia JSON 
114,709
Last updated 31 Dec 2025
Source - UNHCR 
Other people in need of international protection by Location JSON 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   42.2% 48,391
Kyrgyzstan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   47.0% 53,868
Tajikistan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   1.4% 1,550
Turkmenistan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   2.8% 3,200
Uzbekistan UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   6.7% 7,700

Other people in need of international protection (OIP) refers to people who are outside their country or territory of origin and likely require international protection but are not reported under other population categories. The figures presented are UNHCR estimates derived from government statistics and other available information sources. For Uzbekistan, the population considered to be in need of international protection includes Afghan nationals residing temporarily in the country. Population estimates are derived from available information sources where official data are not accessible.

Asylum-seekers in Central Asia JSON 
5,406
Last updated 31 Dec 2025
Source - Government, UNHCR 
Asylum-seekers by Location JSON  .CSV 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan Government 31 Dec 2025   3.3% 177
Kyrgyzstan Government 31 Dec 2025   36.8% 1,992
Tajikistan Government, UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   59.9% 3,237

Stateless persons in Central Asia JSON 
28,367
Last updated 31 Dec 2025
Source - Government, NGO, UNHCR 
Stateless persons by Location JSON 
Location name Source Data date Population
Kazakhstan Government, UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   27.7% 7,858
Kyrgyzstan Government, UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   1.9% 529
Tajikistan Government, UNHCR 31 Dec 2025   14.0% 3,980
Uzbekistan Government 31 Dec 2025   56.4% 16,000

  Latest Documents
  • Download

    UNHCR Operational Update July 2025 - September 2025 | Central Asia

    Document
    Publish date: 30 September 2025 (hace 11 meses)
    Create date: 5 January 2026 (hace 8 meses)
  • Download

    UNHCR Representation to Central Asia - Population figures at a glance, 2025

    Document
    As of 30 June 2025
    Publish date: 12 September 2025 (hace 1 año)
    Create date: 19 September 2025 (hace 11 meses)
  • Download

    Factsheet - UNHCR Central Asia, September 2025

    Document
    Publish date: 1 September 2025 (hace 1 año)
    Create date: 21 October 2025 (hace 10 meses)
  • Download

    UNHCR Operational Update July 2025 - September 2025 | Central Asia

    Document
    Publish date: 30 September 2025 (hace 11 meses)
    Create date: 5 January 2026 (hace 8 meses)
  • Download

    UNHCR Operational Update April 2025 - June 2025 | Central Asia

    Document
    Publish date: 28 August 2025 (hace 1 año)
    Create date: 28 August 2025 (hace 1 año)
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    UNHCR Operational Update January 2025 - March 2025 | Central Asia

    Document
    Publish date: 25 April 2025 (hace 1 año)
    Create date: 28 April 2025 (hace 1 año)
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    Central Asia #IBelong Campaign Achievements - October 2024

    Document
    Publish date: 28 October 2024 (hace 1 año)
    Create date: 28 October 2024 (hace 1 año)
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    Central Asia #IBelong Campaign Achievements 2023

    Document
    Publish date: 12 July 2024 (hace 2 años)
    Create date: 12 July 2024 (hace 2 años)
  • Download

    Tajikistan: Results Monitoring Survey (RMS) Report 2023

    Document
    Tajikistan: Results Monitoring Survey (RMS) Report 2023
    Publish date: 20 June 2024 (hace 2 años)
    Create date: 20 June 2024 (hace 2 años)
  • Download

    UNHCR Afghanistan Border Monitoring Report January-December 2023

    Document
    UNHCR Afghanistan Border Monitoring Report January-December 2023
    Publish date: 25 April 2024 (hace 2 años)
    Create date: 25 April 2024 (hace 2 años)
  • Download

    UNHCR Afghanistan Voluntary Repatriation update 2022

    Document
    Publish date: 22 March 2023 (hace 3 años)
    Create date: 22 March 2023 (hace 3 años)
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    UNHCR Afghanistan Situation Update - 1 April 2024

    Document
    Publish date: 30 April 2024 (hace 2 años)
    Create date: 1 May 2024 (hace 2 años)
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    Afghanistan Situation Update - 1 January 2024

    Document
    Publish date: 22 January 2024 (hace 2 años)
    Create date: 22 January 2024 (hace 2 años)
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    Afghanistan Situation Update - 1 December 2023

    Document
    Publish date: 21 December 2023 (hace 2 años)
    Create date: 21 December 2023 (hace 2 años)
  • Download

    UNHCR RBAP 2022 Cash-Based Interventions in the Region

    Document
    Publish date: 19 April 2023 (hace 3 años)
    Create date: 19 April 2023 (hace 3 años)
  • Download

    UNHCR Representation to Central Asia - Sub-Regional Overview Map

    Document
    Publish date: 23 April 2024 (hace 2 años)
    Create date: 23 April 2024 (hace 2 años)
  • Download

    UNHCR Representation to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - subregional map

    Document
    Publish date: 1 August 2023 (hace 3 años)
    Create date: 1 August 2023 (hace 3 años)
  • Download

    Asia - UNHCR Presence - 22 August 2017

    Document
    Asia - UNHCR Presence - 22 August 2017
    Publish date: 20 July 2020 (hace 6 años)
    Create date: 28 August 2017 (hace 9 años)
  • Download

    UNHCR Representation to Central Asia - Population figures at a glance, 2025

    Document
    As of 30 June 2025
    Publish date: 12 September 2025 (hace 1 año)
    Create date: 19 September 2025 (hace 11 meses)
  • Download

    Factsheet - UNHCR Central Asia, September 2025

    Document
    Publish date: 1 September 2025 (hace 1 año)
    Create date: 21 October 2025 (hace 10 meses)
  • Download

    Factsheet - National Office Kyrgyz Republic, September 2025

    Document
    Publish date: 1 September 2025 (hace 1 año)
    Create date: 21 October 2025 (hace 10 meses)
  • Download

    Afghanistan Situation RRP - Mid-year Report 2023

    Document
    Publish date: 27 October 2023 (hace 2 años)
    Create date: 27 October 2023 (hace 2 años)
  • Download

    Regional Refugee Response Plan 2022 - Final Report

    Document
    Publish date: 8 May 2023 (hace 3 años)
    Create date: 8 May 2023 (hace 3 años)
  • Download

    Regional Refugee Response Plan 2023 - Afghanistan Situation

    Document
    Publish date: 16 March 2023 (hace 3 años)
    Create date: 16 March 2023 (hace 3 años)
    •   View all (81)
    UNHCR is grateful for contributions directly to UNHCR Central Asia, and donors of unearmarked and flexible funding, including: Australia | Belgium | Denmark | European Union | Germany | Ireland | Kingdom of the Netherlands | Norway | Republic of Korea | Sweden | Switzerland | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

    Funding (2025)
    9.565.928 US$
    Total appeal
    Date of Funding Data 31 July 2025 (hace 1 año)
    UNHCR Central Asia HELP
      UNHCR Central Asia News and Stories
    Afghan and Uzbek communities contribute to climate action in Surkhandarya
    [22 April 2026] On Earth Day, UNHCR looks back at its joint initiative with LONGi supporting climate resilience and self-reliance in Uzbekistan.
    Humanitarian heroes celebrated with UNHCR Nansen Refugee Awards
    [10 December 2025] UNHCR honours three remarkable individuals and one organization dedicated to helping refugees, internally displaced people, war-affected communities and others in Mexico, Iraq, Tajikistan and Ukraine.
    Supporting fair and efficient asylum procedures in Central Asia
    [30 June 2025] 33 government, NGO and legal representatives participated in the 2024 Refugee Status Determination Learning Programme, strengthening asylum procedures across the region.
      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.

  • Cash Based Intervention-Post Distribution Monitoring - 2023

    Tajikistan, 2023   MicroData View details | Get Microdata
    Authoring Entity: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    Published: 17 December 2025

  • Results Monitoring Survey 2023

    Tajikistan, 2023   MicroData View details | Get Microdata
    Authoring Entity: UNHCR
    Published: 01 April 2024

  • Post-Distribution Monitoring of Cash-Based Intervention 2023

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