Tajikistan has recorded a rise in both nominal and real average wages, yet the country continues to report the lowest salary levels in Central Asia. The income gap with Kazakhstan and Russia remains especially pronounced.
Nominal and Real Wages
In June 2025, the average nominal monthly wage in Tajikistan reached 3,136.12 somoni ($314), marking a 21.4% year-on-year increase, according to the Statistics Agency under the President of Tajikistan. However, the minimum wage remained unchanged at 800 somoni ($88).
Adjusted for inflation and purchasing power, real wages grew by 17.2% compared to June 2024.
Economists stress the importance of distinguishing between nominal and real wages: while nominal wages reflect contractual earnings, real wages indicate actual purchasing capacity.
Agricultural workers remained the lowest-paid group, with an average income of 1,082.31 somoni ($119). In contrast, employees in financial intermediation and insurance earned the highest wages, averaging 7,703.32 somoni ($847) per month.
Regional Comparisons
Despite the wage increases, Tajikistan lags behind its neighbors.
In Kyrgyzstan, the average salary between January and June 2025 was 42,020 soms ($481), a 19.6% increase over the previous year.
In Uzbekistan, the average wage reached 5.98 million soums ($484) by mid-year, up 17.2% from the same period in 2024.
Kazakhstan reported an average monthly salary of 423,133 tenge ($790) in the first quarter of 2025, reflecting a 10.7% increase.
Meanwhile, in Russia, average wages stood at 99,422 rubles ($1,231) as of May 2025.
Tajikistan’s average salary is nearly four times lower than Russia’s and less than half of Kazakhstan’s, highlighting its continued economic disparity within the region.
