Kyrgyzstan is becoming an increasingly attractive market for international educational institutions seeking to recruit students for study abroad programmes. Despite its smaller size compared to regional neighbours, Kyrgyzstan boasts a stable political environment, robust GDP growth, and a strong commitment to enhancing its education system.
As one of the region's most culturally diverse countries, Kyrgyzstan is undergoing significant educational reforms to align with global standards. Driven by a young, ambitious population eager for quality education and international opportunities, these reforms are focused on preparing specialists for both the domestic and global labour markets.
With over 2,300 schools and 1.4 million students from grades 1 to 11, the growing population is placing pressure on educational infrastructure and teaching capacity, fueling interest in study abroad programmes. Currently, over 230,000 students are enrolled in higher education institutions across the country, and the trend of pursuing education abroad continues to rise.
Kyrgyzstan’s education system is prioritising improvements in quality, infrastructure, and global connectivity. The country is actively expanding inter-university partnerships with leading foreign universities, making it a promising market for student recruitment.
Key Facts
Young and educated population: Kyrgyzstan, with over 7 million people, has a young and educated demographic, where 30% are under 15 years old. Approximately 20% of the working-age population holds higher or incomplete higher education, and 12.5% have specialised secondary education. The UN projects Kyrgyzstan’s population will peak in 2025 at 5.92% growth.
Educational reforms: The Education Development Strategy of the Kyrgyz Republic for 2021-2040 aims to provide high-quality education to all, regardless of socio-economic status, ethnicity, religion, or gender. The recent adoption of the new “On Education” law in August 2023 seeks to further enhance the quality of educational services.
At our education fairs in Bishkek, we observe a higher interest in Bachelor’s programmes (about 40%) compared to Master’s programmes (about 24%). The specific interest in programmes varies based on the representation of those programmes at the fair, as we promote each participant individually.