BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 22. Kyrgyzstan sees sharp decline in number of social benefit recipients.
According to the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, this was presented at a meetingof the board of Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Migration reviewing the ministry’s performance in the first half of 2026.
"At the board meeting, it was noted that, according to the National Statistical Committee, as of January 1, 2026, the number of benefit recipients decreased from 392,000 at the beginning of 2024 to 274,000 at the beginning of 2026," the board announced.
Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Ulan Mamatkanov, who attended the meeting, said the government needs to strengthen efforts to address poverty, unemployment, social assistance and labor migration.
At the same time, the government is expanding the social contract program, launched in 2022 on the initiative of President Sadyr Japarov. More than 48,000 families participated in the program between 2022 and 2025, while another 13,334 families are expected to join this year.
The ministry’s budget has also increased significantly, from 12 billion soms in 2021 to 25.4 billion soms in 2026.
Mamatkanov also highlighted ongoing reforms in the medical and social disability assessment system. The number of documents previously required for disability assessment has been reduced from six to two, while the system has been integrated with the Tunduk digital platform.
As a result, disability certificates and individual rehabilitation programs can now be obtained online.
He called for a comprehensive review of corruption risks across medical and social expert commissions and instructed officials to analyze complaints received in the regions over the past three years.
Mamatkanov also called for comprehensive inspections of all psycho-neurological and social residential institutions and stressed the need for state social service employees to treat citizens seeking assistance with respect and attention.
Meanwhile, in July 2026, the Bala Yrysy allowance was granted to 191,796 children, with 83% of payments processed electronically through a mobile application.
The meeting identified further priorities for the ministry, including improving social protection, employment support, labor rights protection and the efficiency of public services.
