Almost 700,000 Kyrgyz citizens are working abroad, most of them are in Russia, says the country’s State Migration Service.
In late 2015, there were 520,000 Kyrgyzs in Russia, 113,000 in Kazakhstan, 14,000 in South Korea and 10,000 in Turkey.
The key reason forcing them to go abroad is economic problems and social-political shocks. Most of the gastarbeiters are from the south of Kyrgyzstan and are no older than 30. The percentage of women is steadily growing.
In the south of Kyrgyzstan there are almost no young people left. Lots of villages are empty, which is a serious threat for the country’s territorial integrity.
