Kyrgyzstan

A small, mountainous, landlocked Central Asian republic bordering China to the east, Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991. It remains a secular state although the majority of the population are nominal Muslims.

Kyrgyzstan has a strong nomadic tradition, with agriculture and livestock still an important part of the lives of many people. Despite certain levels of oil, gas and gold mining activity, it remains the poorest of the Central Asian republics.

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Many Kyrgyz families eke a living from the land

Since becoming an independent state, increasing levels of political instability and corruption have hindered Kyrgyzstan's development, with electoral irregularities, a worsening human rights record and clampdowns on press freedoms among the symptoms felt by ordinary people.

In 2010, long-standing ethnic tensions between Kyrgyz and Uzbek peoples in the south of the country re-ignited into deadly violence. This spread to the capital city and destabilized the government further, bringing Kyrgyzstan to the brink of emergency and its woes to international attention.

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Area (size): 77,200 square miles (just less than England & Scotland combined) Capital city: Bishkek

Population: 5.5 million; of whom Kyrgyz (majority); sizeable Russian & Uzbek population; Dungan & other minorities. Languages: Kyrgyz (official); Russian; Uzbek; Dungan.

Religion: Islam (75%); sizeable Christian minority (mostly Russian Orthodox). Small Jewish, Buddhist & Baha'i groups.

Christians in Kyrgyzstan

While the majority of the people of this secular state are nominal Muslims, Kyrgyzstan also has a significant, historic Russian Orthodox population, with smaller numbers of Christians belonging to Protestant and Catholic denominations.

Many Christians were very hopeful in the years following Kyrgyzstan's independence, of an unprecented era of opportunity to share the gospel. However, in 2009 the parliament passed a restriction on religion law, raising grave concerns among believers of a serious clampdown on their freedom to worship and witness.

Pray that this law will not slow the growth of God's kingdom in Kyrgyzstan, where the number of evangelizing churches has grown significantly in recent years.