How many Tajik migrants are working in Russia?
The exact number of Tajik migrant workers in Russia remains unknown. The Ministry of Labor of Tajikistan promised to coordinate the figures with Russia over a year ago, but the data has yet to be published.
As of now, the Ministry of Labor, Migration, and Employment of Tajikistan has not provided official, agreed-upon figures regarding the number of Tajik citizens who are simultaneously in Russia and working there. This issue persists amid conflicting estimates from Russian authorities, international organizations, and statements from Tajik officials.
By the end of 2025, the estimates vary significantly — from less than 500,000 to over 1.2 million people.
The lack of transparent statistics creates uncertainty not only for experts and journalists but also for government bodies responsible for migration policy and the protection of citizens' rights abroad.
Why do the numbers differ so much?
Confusion arises because different sources count different things. Some reports focus on the number of Tajik citizens in Russia at a specific point in time, while others look at the number of people who left or returned within a certain period, such as a month, six months, or a year. As a result, discussions may mention figures like «around a million people in Russia» and «hundreds of thousands of departures per year,» which do not necessarily contradict each other but offer different perspectives on the situation.
Russian authorities have consistently reported high figures in recent years. According to Kremlin materials prepared for the meeting between the Presidents of Russia and Tajikistan in November 2023, around 1.2 million Tajik migrant workers were in Russia at the time. In March 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that «around a million, maybe even a little more» Tajik citizens live and work in Russia, highlighting their contribution to the Russian economy and the importance of remittances for Tajikistan.
Additional context is provided by data from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which reported that 6.3 million foreign citizens arrived in Russia in 2024, about half of whom came for work. Among these, 16,7% were Tajik citizens — one of the largest groups.
Rosstat, Russia’s federal statistics agency, reports that Tajikistan’s migration increase in 2024 was 128,000 people, but these numbers reflect registered movements and do not show the actual number of migrant workers in Russia.
What do international organizations report?
International organizations also don’t provide a clear answer to the question of how many Tajiks are currently working in Russia, but they give an overview of migration trends. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of September 2024, 618,097 Tajik citizens had left for work abroad, with around 98% heading to Russia. In comparison, 673,285 such migrants left during the same period in 2023, reflecting an 8% decrease.
It’s important to note that these figures refer to departures, not the number of people who are currently living and working in Russia.
Tajikistan’s ministry of labor position
Earlier, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labor reported much lower figures, stating that the number of Tajik migrant workers in Russia did not exceed 500,000 people. The discrepancy with Russian estimates was explained by differing methodologies: «We count only those who leave specifically for work. The Russian side includes the families of migrants, including minor children,» the Ministry stated.
The need to harmonize these approaches was cited as the reason for the delay in publishing a «unified figure» in early spring 2025 (this is when Asia-Plus first requested the data for 2024). However, by the end of 2025, the official, coordinated statistics have still not been provided.
In a press release summarizing the first half of 2025, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labor reported its work with the Russian side and administrative measures, including:
· 3,890 people were turned back from Russia due to entry restrictions.
· 63,685 individuals were removed from the «controlled persons» list, and over 23,000 legalized their stay.
· 27,635 inquiries were received by the Ministry’s representative office in Russia in the first half of the year.
· 8,827 people were organized for work abroad (with the number rising to 9,478 by July 25).
However, the press release did not specify how many Tajik migrants are currently in Russia.
Why is the lack of official figures a problem?
Without transparent, agreed-upon statistics, it’s more difficult to:
· Protect the rights of Tajik citizens in Russia and provide targeted assistance to those in vulnerable situations;
· Predict economic and social risks (employment within the country, labor market pressures, and households’ dependence on remittances);
· Negotiate with Russia on migration conditions and legalization mechanisms;
· Develop a long-term migration policy based on data rather than estimates.
Analysts point out that the lack of data transparency could be linked not only to technical and methodological issues but also to the political sensitivity of the topic. Public figures would highlight the scale of the country’s dependence on external income and the limited capacity of the domestic labor market.
It’s worth noting that specialists from international financial institutions consider Tajikistan’s economy to be one of the most dependent on remittances in the world.
Tajikistan’s relevant authorities have not disclosed figures on migrant remittances. Previously, such data was available on the Central Bank of Russia’s website but was classified after the onset of the war in Ukraine.
As of now, the Ministry of Labor, Migration, and Employment of Tajikistan has not provided official, agreed-upon figures regarding the number of Tajik citizens who are simultaneously in Russia and working there. This issue persists amid conflicting estimates from Russian authorities, international organizations, and statements from Tajik officials.
By the end of 2025, the estimates vary significantly — from less than 500,000 to over 1.2 million people.
The lack of transparent statistics creates uncertainty not only for experts and journalists but also for government bodies responsible for migration policy and the protection of citizens' rights abroad.
Why do the numbers differ so much?
Confusion arises because different sources count different things. Some reports focus on the number of Tajik citizens in Russia at a specific point in time, while others look at the number of people who left or returned within a certain period, such as a month, six months, or a year. As a result, discussions may mention figures like «around a million people in Russia» and «hundreds of thousands of departures per year,» which do not necessarily contradict each other but offer different perspectives on the situation.
Russian authorities have consistently reported high figures in recent years. According to Kremlin materials prepared for the meeting between the Presidents of Russia and Tajikistan in November 2023, around 1.2 million Tajik migrant workers were in Russia at the time. In March 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that «around a million, maybe even a little more» Tajik citizens live and work in Russia, highlighting their contribution to the Russian economy and the importance of remittances for Tajikistan.
Additional context is provided by data from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which reported that 6.3 million foreign citizens arrived in Russia in 2024, about half of whom came for work. Among these, 16,7% were Tajik citizens — one of the largest groups.
Rosstat, Russia’s federal statistics agency, reports that Tajikistan’s migration increase in 2024 was 128,000 people, but these numbers reflect registered movements and do not show the actual number of migrant workers in Russia.
What do international organizations report?
International organizations also don’t provide a clear answer to the question of how many Tajiks are currently working in Russia, but they give an overview of migration trends. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of September 2024, 618,097 Tajik citizens had left for work abroad, with around 98% heading to Russia. In comparison, 673,285 such migrants left during the same period in 2023, reflecting an 8% decrease.
It’s important to note that these figures refer to departures, not the number of people who are currently living and working in Russia.
Tajikistan’s ministry of labor position
Earlier, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labor reported much lower figures, stating that the number of Tajik migrant workers in Russia did not exceed 500,000 people. The discrepancy with Russian estimates was explained by differing methodologies: «We count only those who leave specifically for work. The Russian side includes the families of migrants, including minor children,» the Ministry stated.
The need to harmonize these approaches was cited as the reason for the delay in publishing a «unified figure» in early spring 2025 (this is when Asia-Plus first requested the data for 2024). However, by the end of 2025, the official, coordinated statistics have still not been provided.
In a press release summarizing the first half of 2025, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labor reported its work with the Russian side and administrative measures, including:
· 3,890 people were turned back from Russia due to entry restrictions.
· 63,685 individuals were removed from the «controlled persons» list, and over 23,000 legalized their stay.
· 27,635 inquiries were received by the Ministry’s representative office in Russia in the first half of the year.
· 8,827 people were organized for work abroad (with the number rising to 9,478 by July 25).
However, the press release did not specify how many Tajik migrants are currently in Russia.
Why is the lack of official figures a problem?
Without transparent, agreed-upon statistics, it’s more difficult to:
· Protect the rights of Tajik citizens in Russia and provide targeted assistance to those in vulnerable situations;
· Predict economic and social risks (employment within the country, labor market pressures, and households’ dependence on remittances);
· Negotiate with Russia on migration conditions and legalization mechanisms;
· Develop a long-term migration policy based on data rather than estimates.
Analysts point out that the lack of data transparency could be linked not only to technical and methodological issues but also to the political sensitivity of the topic. Public figures would highlight the scale of the country’s dependence on external income and the limited capacity of the domestic labor market.
It’s worth noting that specialists from international financial institutions consider Tajikistan’s economy to be one of the most dependent on remittances in the world.
Tajikistan’s relevant authorities have not disclosed figures on migrant remittances. Previously, such data was available on the Central Bank of Russia’s website but was classified after the onset of the war in Ukraine.
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