New large-scale survey reveals changes and trends in the situation of women and children in Kyrgyzstan

On 30 July, the National Statistics Committee released the results of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2023. The survey covered 7,200 households across Kyrgyzstan, measuring 185 indicators related to healthcare, education, and social protection for women and children. It was conducted with technical and financial support from UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Government of Switzerland.

The results were presented at a special round table with the participation of Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Edil Baisalov, the leadership of the National Statistical Committee, the UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic Antje Grave and heads of UN agencies, Members of Parliament, the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Kyrgyz Republic, Ambassadors of Japan, France, U.S. and Switzerland, representatives of international organizations.

“We see a real increase in the standard of living of the population, reflected in the growth of income, consumption and savings. We are glad to see that this leads to an improvement in the lives of children, which is the government's top priority for investing in human capital, investing in the future, investing in a healthy and educated population. This is the most important goal of national development in Kyrgyzstan," said Edil Baisalov, Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Experts of the National Statistical Committee presented key indicators concerning child mortality, attendance at educational institutions, vaccination, domestic violence, early marriages and other important topics. The participants of the event had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the presented data.

The survey shows a continued decline in the infant mortality rate, which stands at 15.6 per 1,000 live births, and the under-five mortality rate, at 16.5 per 1,000 live births. The birth rate among adolescents aged 15-19 years is 32 per 1,000 women (in this age group), a twofold decrease compared to 2014 estimates.

In terms of health care for women during after pregnancy, the survey shows almost universal access to health care specialists and facilities for women throughout Kyrgyzstan.

Vaccination coverage of children remains relatively low, with only four out of five children aged 24-35 months vaccinated against vaccine-preventable childhood diseases. Proportion of children between 12-23 months that received all basic vaccinations at any time before the survey is 71.6 per cent, which is lower compared to 76.7 per cent in 2018.

The survey also provides important insights on education. The enrolment remains almost universal in primary and lower secondary school, while in upper secondary school (years 10-11) the enrolment rate is 87 per cent. Only three out of four children attending the first year of primary school had attended any early childhood education programme.

Among children in years 2 and 3, only 49 per cent have foundational reading skills (i.e., read at least 90 per cent of words in a story correctly and answered five questions on the content), and only 34 per cent have foundational numeracy skills (i.e., could correctly calculate and compare figures, and identify patterns).

“To improve the lives of children and women, high-quality and reliable data is a must to drive evidence-informed policymaking. We are grateful to our partners – USAID, UNFPA, and the Government of Switzerland – for their generous support to this important initiative. UNICEF will continue to work with the Kyrgyz Government and partners to support the wellbeing of children in Kyrgyzstan,” said UNICEF representative in Kyrgyzstan, Samman Jung Thapa.

MICS is based on an international methodology that enables generating comparable data. MICS 2023 produced data for 32 global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators, disaggregated by key characteristics such as gender, age, geographic location, income level and disability. These indicators complement the national set of SDG indicators.

Previously, Kyrgyzstan conducted MICS in 1995, 2006, 2014 and 2018.

The full report can be downloaded from the UNICEF website in Russian, Kyrgyz, and English.