Kyrgyzstan
41.7 %
2019 ILO - World Social Protection Report 2017-2019
73.6 %
2019 WHO - THE GLOBAL HEALTH OBSERVATORY
2.3 %
2017 WHO - THE GLOBAL HEALTH OBSERVATORY
10.3 %
2018 IMF - Government Finance Statistics (GFS) - Expenditure by Functions of Government (COFOG)
Publications
Situation and Priorities
Social protection situation
The social protection system of the Kyrgyz Republic has undergone several reforms on the level of individual programmes in the last three decades. Yet, significant gaps persist in both legal provisions and in terms of effective coverage, adequacy of benefits and access to social care services, exposing all age groups to a wide range of risks throughout their lifecycle. The share of the population covered by at least one social protection cash benefit (effective coverage) is 41.7 per cent compared to 47 per cent of the world's population, while 73.6 per cent of the population is covered by social protection
Kyrgyz Republic invests, 10.6 % of GDP, more than most lower middle-income countries in social protection, but spending is concentrated on income security in old age. The main social protection programmes with substantial funding from the national budget are contributory pensions, state benefits, and basic and mandatory health insurance. Investment in tax-financed programmes has been limited. Expenditure on children, for example, is very low (1.2 per cent of GDP in 2020), illustrating the importance placed on social insurance (contributions for certain contingencies, such as pensions, are earmarked in the budget for that purpose only). Investment in labour market programmes is also exceptionally low (just 0.2 per cent of GDP in 2019).
Economic informality is a reality observed in the last three decades of the Kyrgyz Republic’s history. The informal economy level has grown in recent years hovering between 23 and 25 per cent between 2014-2023. Informal work often entails small, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. It exacerbates challenges with low skills, low productivity and irregular incomes, leading to an increased likelihood of being and remaining “poor”. Informal workers do not exist officially: they are not recognised or registered, and are not protected by labour legislation – nor do they benefit from i effective implementation of social protection. The ‘missing middle’’ in Kyrgyzstan – those who neither receive employment-based entitlements nor are eligible for social assistance –constitute some 70 % of working age population. For example, the child benefit uy-bulogo komak has very low coverage. Maternity and unemployment protections do not cover many people experiencing these contingencies today, and benefits are inadequate for those few who are receiving them.
COVID-19 and other crises
In response to COVID-19, the Kyrgyz Government developed a number of policy packages in 2020 and 2021. In addition to a health sector contingency plan, the focus of policies has been on stimulating the economy and supporting enterprises, particularly increasing liquidity. This has included the deferral of tax payments, temporary exemption of land and property taxes, subsidized credit lines for SME funding, simplified access to credit, financial mechanisms to support exporters, adjustments to procurement contracts, and measures to manage inflation and the exchange rate, among others.
There has been, however, less action to protect jobs, workers and incomes. Early measures included the prohibition of the dismissal of workers and employees (except for good reasons), a request that work arrangements be adapted, temporary price controls on essential food items and food distribution to low-income families. Government used existing administrative tools to expand income and livelihood support through the simplification of procedures for unemployment benefit payments, greater temporary financial support to families with children under 16 years of age, and one-time loans to low-income families for business or farm development.
Government and social partner priorities
The Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2021 continued addressing adverse impact of COVID -19 pandemic on social protection and has simultaneously initiated a series of legal and policy reforms with an aim to create a more coherent and enabling framework for sustainable socio-economic development. The actual reform processes begun in the second half of 2022 focused on following SPF priorities:
- Draft national social protection strategy
- Adopt Inclusive Country umbrella policy for inclusion of persons with disabilities
- Reform pension system
- Support transition from informal to formal economy and progressively extend coverage with social protection to as many informal workers as possible
ILO Projects and Programmes
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Strengthening capacity of workers' organizations to protect and represent workers in informal employment and promote sustainable polices inclusive of workers in diverse forms of work arrangements
01.08.2021 - 31.07.2023 USD 456,736Expected outcomes:
- By 2022 capacity building of workers organizations to formulate and implement social protection policies inclusive of informal workers and promoting gender equality (C102, R202, C183, C156, KYR Country Profile on Informality from 2020);
- By 2023 schemes for extension of maternity protection to (at least priority) groups of workers in non-standard forms of employment/informal economy developed, its piloting and scaling up facilitated and prepared for adoption through relevant social dialogue platforms
- By 2022 schemes to test social insurance in case of unemployment of selected groups of workers in informal economy (to be defined through a tripartite discussion) with contributory capacity tested is developed and prepared for adoption through relevant social dialogue platforms
Results
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Social security and maternity protection experts from the Government, trade unions and employers organizations were trained in the period October 2015 to May 2016 on maternity protection.
KGZ154 31.12.2017
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The multi-stakeholder working group of the Assessment-Based National Dialogue (ABND) on social protection floors including government agencies and the social partners adopted in February 2016 a Resolution on the extension of social protection floors
KGZ154 01.02.2016
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The Government of Kyrgyzstan adopted the Programme of social protection development.
KGZ154 31.12.2015
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ILO's recommendations on the Programme of social protection development were shared.
KGZ154 31.12.2015
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The Programme of social protection development of Kyrgyzstan and its Action Plan address the coverage of so far excluded groups.
KGZ154 31.12.2015
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The government approved national OSH profile.
KGZ154 31.12.2009
Funding gaps / Support the ILO
US$ 100,000
Support the development and costing of national social protection strategy
US$ 400,000
Improve social protection financing for disability programmes, and piloting integrated skills, labour market inclusion and income security nexus of interventions for inclusion of persons with disabilities
US$ 50,000
Pilot mechanisms to extend social protection coverage with maternity and unemployment benefits to workers in informal economy
News and Events
- Over 22,000 needy families receive food assistance in January in Kyrgyzstan
- Kyrgyzstan: Eurasian Economic Union Implements Agreement Extending Pension Coverage
- Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan: April Revolution anniversary, food security and business support
- Kyrgyzstan: The government approved an action plan to provide social support to the population and ensure food security
Workspaces
Multimedia
ILO Experts
Jasmina Papa
Liliia Kachkinbaeva
