ADB Proposes Retirement at 65 in Tajikistan, but Pension Rules Remain Unchanged

Two retirement options, with no change in law

Women in Tajikistan could face five or seven additional years before retirement under two options proposed by the Asian Development Bank, while men could face an increase of two years. The country's Social Insurance and Pensions Agency says the proposals are advisory. The current retirement ages remain 58 for women and 63 for men.

The options appear in the ADB country study Economic Transformation for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Tajikistan. One would gradually raise the retirement age for women to 63, matching the existing age for men. The other would gradually introduce retirement at 65 for both sexes.

The bank also recommends considering longer contribution requirements: 30 years for both women and men, compared with the current requirements of 20 years for women and 25 for men. Contributions are payments into pension insurance during a person's working life, used to build entitlement to a pension.

Tajikistan has announced no decision or implementation timetable for these changes. The pensions agency says changes to retirement ages, contribution requirements or other eligibility conditions must follow national legal procedures and take effect through legislation.

The debate follows the ADB's earlier pension reform recommendations, which placed retirement ages within a wider package covering insurance coverage, payment levels, contribution records and support for people without sufficient pension entitlements. For workers, the immediate position is unchanged. The larger question is how to finance adequate pensions when many employed people make irregular contributions or work outside formal payroll systems.

What the proposed changes would mean

Women would experience the larger change under either retirement option. Moving from 58 to 63 adds five years; moving to 65 adds seven. Men would keep their existing retirement age under the first option and face two additional years under the second.

The proposed contribution requirement would also affect women more sharply. Raising the minimum from 20 to 30 years means an additional 10 years of contributions, a 50% increase. For men, moving from 25 to 30 years means five additional years, or a 20% increase.

Retirement age and contribution history are separate conditions. A person can reach the required age while still having too few years of recorded payments. Longer contribution requirements would therefore be especially consequential for people whose employment includes unpaid care, migration, seasonal work or periods outside the formal economy.

Later retirement can improve pension finances when people remain employed and continue paying contributions. Whether workers can do that depends on their health, occupation, working conditions, access to suitable jobs and opportunities to retrain. A higher legal age would require close attention to those practical conditions.

Why registration is only the starting point

About 2.1 million people were registered in Tajikistan's pension insurance system in 2024, roughly one third of the population of working age. The ADB identifies informal employment, irregular payments and weaknesses in record keeping as central reasons for limited contribution coverage.

A registered account can receive payments regularly, occasionally or not at all. Pension financing depends on how much money actually reaches the system and how consistently it arrives. Reliable contribution records also determine whether workers receive credit for payments made on their behalf.

The ADB recommends bringing more people who work for themselves and more workers in informal employment into pension insurance. It also proposes easier registration and better information exchange between government agencies, so employment and contribution records can be matched more accurately.

Migration complicates collection. Around 825,000 Tajik citizens were working abroad in the first half of 2025, according to the International Organization for Migration. Some citizens working overseas do not contribute to Tajikistan's pension fund, reducing the pool of payments available to finance domestic pensions.

What the worker figures tell us

Tajikistan had 894,923 pensioners on October 1, 2026, according to national statistics. Employment stood at approximately 2.851 million in August, giving a ratio of about 3.2 employed people for each pensioner.

Only about 1.307 million people were recorded as wage employees at enterprises of various ownership types, equivalent to 45.8% of total employment. Other employed people include entrepreneurs, members of dehqon farms and other categories of workers who may also make social contributions.

The financial calculation therefore needs the number of regular contributors, the amounts they pay and the pension bill. Three employed people supporting one pensioner would produce very different revenues depending on their earnings and whether all three contribute every month.

Comparable figures from the CIS Statistical Committee put Tajikistan at 318 pensioners per 1,000 employed people in 2024, or about 3.1 employed people per pensioner. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan each recorded 347 pensioners per 1,000 employed people, or about 2.9 workers per pensioner. Russia recorded 555, or about 1.8. These figures describe the balance between employment and pension receipt across countries using a common reporting period.

How far pensions stretch

The average old age pension in Tajikistan was 475.8 somoni a month in 2024, compared with an average monthly wage of 2,148.9 somoni. The pension amounted to about 22.1% of the average wage, meaning the wage was roughly 4.5 times as large.

Those averages show a substantial gap between earnings and pension income. An individual's experience will depend on their previous salary, contribution history and pension entitlement, while household needs also vary.

The ADB recommends improving indexation, the mechanism used to adjust pensions as prices and living costs change. If food, heating and other essentials become more expensive while a pension stays fixed, that pension buys less.

The bank also calls for indicators to assess whether pension payments provide an adequate standard of living. Pension reform therefore has two connected tasks: ensuring enough money enters the system and ensuring payments provide meaningful support to recipients.

Who would pay for social pensions?

The ADB proposes gradually transferring the financing of social pensions to the state budget under a plan covering several years. Social pensions support certain groups who do not qualify for a pension based on contributions.

A contributory pension is tied to rights built through payments during working life. A social pension provides support when those rights are insufficient or absent. Separating their financing would make it easier to see how much the government spends on each function.

Under the proposed arrangement, contribution revenues would primarily finance insurance pensions, while general government revenues would support social pensions. The state would need to plan the transfer over several budget years rather than shift the expense all at once.

That financing question becomes especially relevant alongside a proposal to require 30 years of contributions. Workers with interrupted records would need a clear understanding of both their insurance entitlement and the support available if they fall short.

Longer lives, a young population and regional choices

National data cited by the ADB put life expectancy at 76.6 years in 2024, up from 68.4 in 2010, an increase of 8.2 years. World Bank estimates put life expectancy at around 72 years; differences can reflect the data and methods used.

Life expectancy at birth describes the average length of life across a population. Pension planning also needs estimates of how long people live after reaching retirement age, since that determines the expected duration of payments.

Tajikistan remains a young country, with 62.8% of residents younger than 30. The future contribution base will depend partly on whether those young people find employment that generates regular pension payments, at home or through arrangements covering work abroad.

Retirement rules across Central Asia vary. Kyrgyzstan sets the age at 63 for men and 58 for women, matching Tajikistan. Uzbekistan sets it at 60 and 55. Kazakhstan sets it at 63 for men and 61 for women; the age for women stays at 61 until 2028 before rising gradually to 63 by 2031.

A unified age of 65 would put Tajikistan above those stated thresholds for both sexes. Each country's financing, employment patterns and benefit rules would still shape the results of its chosen retirement age.

Better records and easier access

The ADB's administrative proposals include stronger individual contribution records, expanded digital services and better information exchange between public institutions. For workers, an accurate personal record would make it easier to check payments and understand the pension rights they have accumulated.

The bank also recommends developing voluntary pension savings and clearer oversight of pension funds outside the state system. Proposed safeguards include licensing, investment rules and supervision. Voluntary savings would give people another way to prepare for retirement alongside compulsory pension insurance.

In early October, the ADB allocated $20.5 million for wider pension service coverage, modernization of pension and social benefit payments, and improvements in the quality and availability of social services. That work addresses the practical process of accessing benefits as well as the management of payments.

Detailed public projections comparing the financial and social effects of the retirement options are still lacking. A useful comparison would show expected contribution income, pension spending and the number of people qualifying under each option, alongside the effects on workers with incomplete employment records.

A wider relationship with international lenders

The pension proposals come during broader financial discussions between Tajikistan and international institutions. The country owes the ADB about $260 million, while the bank has proposed a further $500 million package for the Rogun hydropower project.

The planned package consists of a $200 million grant and a $300 million concessional loan, as described in the Rogun financing discussions. A grant does not require repayment; a concessional loan must be repaid on terms more favourable than ordinary commercial borrowing.

On October 1, parliament ratified a $300 million Rogun financing agreement with the International Development Association, part of the World Bank Group, which had previously provided $350 million. Finance Minister Faiziddin Kahhorzoda and National Bank chairman Firdavs Tolibzoda also met IMF Deputy Managing Director Bo Li in October.

The World Bank's country partnership strategy for 2026 to 2032 places weight on private investment, a smaller state role in the economy and easier business conditions. Tajikistan's pension debate is taking place alongside those wider discussions about public finances and economic policy.

The key dates and figures span several reporting periods:

• 2024: Pension insurance registration reached about 2.1 million, while the average old age pension was 475.8 somoni a month.
• First half of 2025: Around 825,000 Tajik citizens were working abroad, according to the International Organization for Migration.
• August 2026: Employment stood at approximately 2.851 million.
• October 1, 2026: The pensioner count reached 894,923, and parliament ratified the $300 million Rogun agreement.
• October 2026: The ADB's pension proposals prompted clarification that existing retirement rules remained in force.

Key Points

• Tajikistan's retirement ages remain 58 for women and 63 for men.
• The ADB proposes either gradually raising the age for women to 63 or moving both sexes to 65.
• The bank also recommends considering 30 years of contributions for both women and men.
• About 2.1 million people were registered for pension insurance in 2024, roughly one third of the population of working age.
• The average old age pension in 2024 equalled about 22.1% of the average monthly wage.
• Other proposals cover social pension financing, inflation adjustments, digital records, voluntary savings and wider coverage.
• Any change to eligibility requires action under Tajik law; no implementation timetable has been announced.