Determining the Central Asian country most similar to Sub-Saharan Africa requires considering various social, cultural, economic, and political factors.
One way to answer this complex question is by analyzing the data from the Country Similarity Index. The index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries, using a variety of statistics from five broad categories: demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
While no country in Central Asia is extremely similar to Sub-Saharan Africa, the data suggests that Tajikistan is the most similar. On the other end of the spectrum, Mongolia is the least similar.
(The following countries are considered to be part of the Sub-Saharan African region: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe)
Tajikistan stands out as the most similar country in Central Asia to Sub-Saharan Africa due to its demographics and infrastructure. It is one of the poorest countries in Central Asia. As a result, its infrastructure is not well developed.
Demographics
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the youngest population, since it has high fertility rates but low life expectancy. Tajikistan has the youngest population in Central Asia. Its median age is around 25 years old. Furthermore, Tajikistan is one of the least wealthy countries in the region. A large percentage of its people are farmers. This makes Tajikistan more similar to Sub-Saharan African countries as well.
Infrastructure
Tajikistan’s infrastructure is notably less developed than other Central Asian countries. The country has one of the lowest rates of vehicles per capita in the region. Like many Sub-Saharan African countries, Tajikistan relies on hydroelectric power for its energy generation. It also consumes less energy per capita than other Central Asian countries. Regrettably, these issues parallel the challenges faced by numerous Sub-Saharan African nations.
The Most Similar Sub-Saharan African Country to Tajikistan
The Country Similarity Index suggests that Mali is the most similar Sub-Saharan African country to Tajikistan. Both countries are predominately Muslim. In addition, they are both landlocked. Hydropower is the most common source of electricity in these countries. They also drive on the right side of the road and use the same TV broadcasting standards.
