Determining the Central Asian country most similar to South Asia 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.
The Index suggests that Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are the most similar Central Asian countries to South Asia, but for different reasons. On the other end of the spectrum, Turkmenistan has the least amount of traits in common with South Asia.
(South Asian countries are defined as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Pakistan could be considered as either Middle Eastern or South Asian, but is included as well)
Tajikistan’s demographics and culture have many traits in common with South Asia. However, Kyrgyzstan’s government is more democratic than other countries in Central Asia. This makes it more similar politically to South Asian countries. Furthermore, both countries are mountainous so they share some traits with Nepal and Bhutan. However, neither country is especially similar overall to South Asia. The most similar South Asian country to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is its neighbor, Pakistan.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan’s official language is Tajik, which is a variety of Persian. Most countries in Central Asia speak Turkic languages. However, Tajik is an Indo-European language, like Hindi, Bengali, and Urdu. Furthermore, the ancestry of the population in Tajikistan has more Caucasian and less East Asian components. This also makes Tajikistan more similar to South Asia than other Central Asian countries. Furthermore, Tajikistan’s median age is the youngest in Central Asia, so its demographics are closer to South Asia’s.
The Most Similar Countries to Tajikistan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan adopted a parliamentary form of government in 2010, making it one of the few countries in Central Asia with such a system. This parliamentary system is closer to the democratic governance structures found in some South Asian nations. South Asia is home to several democratic countries, while many Central Asian nations have tended to have more authoritarian forms of government. Kyrgyzstan is one of the most democratic in its region.
The Most Similar Countries to Kyrgyzstan
