This year, another increase in the salaries of public sector employees, pensions, and scholarships is expected.  However, even after the increase, our salaries will remain the lowest in Central Asia.  The government of Tajikistan has adopted a decree on measures to implement the presidential directive regarding the increase in the salaries of government employees, workers of budget organizations, pensions, and scholarships.

By government’s decree wages, pensions, and student grants will increase this year starting from September 1. 

Kindergarten and school teachers will see a 30% salary increase.  Salaries for other public sector workers, including law enforcement and military personnel, will rise by 20%.   Student grants will also rise 20 percent.

The minimum wage will be set at 1,000 somonis, up from the current 800 somonis.

Basic pensions and social benefits will increase by 10%.

 

Where will the money come from?

Additional funds to ensure the presidential decree, as well as the payment of salaries, pensions, and scholarships, are provided for in the state budget for 2025.

The government decree particularly directs the use of budget funds to finance the wage fund and pension payments, as well as the use of surplus funds, revenue over-fulfillment from the republican budget, local budgets, and the social insurance and pension budget.

To ensure additional financing for the public sector, measures such as saving funds from protected budget items, reallocating funds from other expenditure items, using reserve funds of the state budget, and special funds from budget organizations are being considered.

The state budget revenue for this year is set at 49.6 billion somonis.

According to the Ministry of Finance, salaries, pensions, allowances, and scholarships account for more than 35% of the total budget expenditures for 2025.  The wage fund for this year's budget is set at nearly 13 billion somonis, which is 35.7% more than the 2024 budget.

For pensions, over 5.1 billion somonis is allocated, and for allowances, 350 million somonis, which represents an increase of 25.6% and 25.8%, respectively, compared to last year's budget.

For scholarships, 280 million somonis is allocated in this year's budget—26% more compared to the 2024 budget.

 

Insufficient growth?

Since 2020, the salaries of public sector employees have been increased annually, except for 2021, when salaries were raised only for employees of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences and its subordinate institutions (by 28% starting from September 1, 2021).

In 2020, salaries, scholarships, and pensions were increased by 15%, except for the military personnel’s salaries (by 10%).

In 2022, the salaries of military personnel and law enforcement officers were increased by 25%, and other employees in these sectors received a 20% increase. The salaries of other public sector employees and scholarships grew by 20%, while pensions increased by 25%.

In 2023, military and law enforcement salaries were raised by 25%, while salaries of other public sector employees, scholarships, and pensions grew by 20%.

In 2024, salaries of all public sector employees and scholarships increased by 40%, and pensions by 30%.

Thus, with the upcoming increase in September, since 2020, the salaries of public sector employees and scholarships have, on average, increased by 2.2 times, and pensions by 2 times.

In his latest address to both chambers of parliament at the end of December 2024, President Emomali Rahmon noted that the monetary income of the population had increased from 48 billion somonis in 2019 to 147 billion somonis in 2024.

“In other words, the figure tripled, the average salary increased by more than 1.8 times, and the average pension volume increased by 1.5 times,” the president added.

Despite this, Tajikistan remains the country with the lowest average salary in Central Asia.

According to the ranking agency Ranking.kz, in early 2025, citing data from the CIS Interstate Statistical Committee, it was reported that, as of September 2024, the average salary in Kazakhstan is almost twice as high as in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and four times higher than in Tajikistan, making the country a leader in this indicator among Central Asia’s nations.

According to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, the average nominal salary in the country in January of this year was 2656 somonis (US$244).

The highest average salary in the country is earned by financial intermediaries (banking sector) at 6587 somonis (US$604), while the lowest average salary is earned by agricultural workers at 1223 somonis (US$112).