Kyrgyz Republic

As a land-locked, mountainous country, the Kyrgyz Republic's economy is exposed to various risks. These include dependence on imported staple foods and fuel, labour migration, and climate-related hazards such as drought, floods and mudflows.  

Poverty increased from 20 percent in 2019 to 33 percent in 2022, with nearly 2.3 million people living beneath the poverty line, according to the National Statistics Committee. Two decades of development gains were lost in just four years, as COVID-19 saw a major hit to the economy, employment and people’s incomes. This posed significant challenges to WFP’s pursuit of  Sustainable Development Goal 2 on zero hunger and improved nutrition.  

In 2023, staple food prices increased by over 50 percent compared to pre-COVID in early 2020. About two in five households in the Kyrgyz Republic cannot afford a nutritious diet, impacting children and women with lifelong micronutrient deficiencies. More than 70 percent of children aged 6-59 months do not meet minimum dietary diversity, and 47 percent of them along with adolescent girls are deficient in iron and other micronutrients.  

The World Food Programme (WFP) has been in the Kyrgyz Republic since 2008. We strengthen national capacities and systems for social protection, emergency preparedness and response, disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, and improve food security and nutrition for the most vulnerable households.