1,300 somoni minimum wage: Tajikistan raises government salaries by up to 25%
Central Asia Column “Steppe Ahead”
As of September 1, Tajikistan raised public sector salaries by 20 to 25 percent. The minimum wage is increasing by 30 percent to 1,300 somoni, equivalent to about 141 U.S. dollars per month. Pensions are increasing by at least 15%, and scholarships by 20%. This is the second round of wage increases within twelve months, and it comes amid a period of 8.2% economic growth.
Teachers will receive a 25% raise, and pensions will rise faster than prices
The Tajik news agency Asia-Plus lists the details. Teachers at preschools and general education schools will receive a 25% pay increase. Employees in science, culture, sports, health care, social protection, administration, the military, and the police will receive a 20% increase. The base rate for medical personnel is rising to 893 somoni, about 97 U.S. dollars. Depending on their category, civil servants will receive new base rates ranging from 1,506 to 1,668 somoni. Students will receive scholarships that are 20% higher.
Pensions will be adjusted for inflation in 2025, but will be increased by at least 15%. According to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, consumer prices rose by only 3.5% in 2025. The government is thus raising pensions by more than four times the rate required to keep pace with inflation. President Emomali Rahmon had announced the increase in December during his address to parliament. The Tajik news portal Your.tj quotes him as saying: “Raising the standard of living and quality of life of the people is the state’s highest goal.” In the same speech, Rahmon announced an education budget of just under 14 billion somoni for 2026, a 25.4% increase over 2025.
Dushanbe is thus repeating the pattern from the previous year. In September 2025, salaries in the education sector rose by 30%, and the minimum wage climbed from 800 to 1,000 somoni. Within two years, the statutory minimum wage has thus increased by a good 60%. The Russian state broadcaster Sputnik Tajikistan, citing the Statistics Office, estimates the cost of the new wage round at 292.7 million somoni, approximately 32 million U.S. dollars.
8.2% growth and an improved credit rating support the wage policy
The economic situation provides the leeway. Gross domestic product grew by 8.2% in the first half of the year to 81.7 billion somoni, or about 8.8 billion U.S. dollars. According to Xinhua, Economy Minister Abdurahmon Abdurahmonzoda cited a 14.1% increase in industrial production, an 18.4% rise in capital investment, and a 26.1% increase in retail sales. Inflation remained low at 2.4% for the first half of the year.
Wages are also rising in the labor market. The average wage reached 3,200 somoni in April—about 347 U.S. dollars—a 20.3% increase compared to the same month last year. Banks and insurance companies pay the highest wages at 8,300 somoni, followed by IT and telecommunications at 6,000 somoni and the energy sector at 5,700 somoni. At the lower end of the spectrum is the agricultural sector, with 1,500 somoni. Regionally, the capital, Dushanbe, leads the way, while the Khattlon Province brings up the rear. On August 14, the rating agency S&P upgraded Tajikistan from B to B+, with a stable outlook. According to Asia-Plus, the agency cites foreign exchange reserves of $6.4 billion at the end of 2025, up from $4.4 billion a year earlier. Net public debt is expected to remain below 20% of GDP. According to S&P, the economy grew by an average of 8.5% per year between 2021 and 2025. The agency expects per capita income to reach around $1,850 in 2026, roughly double the level of 2021.
Low baseline, costly major project: the limits of wage negotiations
The starting point remains modest. A minimum wage of $141 and an average wage of $347 continue to place the country at the lower end of the region. S&P describes household incomes as low, despite all the progress made. According to Rahmon’s address to parliament, 19% of the approximately 10.7 million residents still live in poverty. The agency also warns of the country’s heavy reliance on remittances from migrant workers, particularly from Russia. If this inflow dries up, it will simultaneously impact consumer spending and the stability of the somoni.
Added to this is a costly major project. According to an S&P estimate documented by Asia-Plus, the Rogun hydropower project will cost an additional $5.8 billion to complete. This funding competes directly with salaries and pensions in the budget. S&P also expects growth to gradually slow after the current boom phase.
In the short term, higher government wages are supporting consumption and keeping teachers, doctors, and civil servants in the country. In doing so, the government is competing with wage levels in Russia and Kazakhstan, where hundreds of thousands of Tajiks continue to go to work. This course is only sustainable in the long term if growth and tax revenues keep pace. The next test will come in the fall: That is when it will become clear whether the wage negotiations will push up the currently low inflation rate.
Source: Asia-Plus, Asia-Plus, Xinhua (EN) Sputnik Tajikistan, Your.tj (RU)