During the consideration and adoption of the state budget by the lower chamber of Parliament, the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan annually highlights the social orientation of the country’s main financial document.
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CABAR.asia calculated which industries and sectors received the most budgetary funding from 2010 to 2020.
During the indicated period, about 40% of budget funds were allocated to social spheres: education, healthcare, social insurance and social protection. The fuel and energy industry follows with 20% of the allocated state budget in 2010-2020.
Budget spending on the social sector remains almost unchanged since 2010.
Among social sectors, the largest funding is allocated to education – 16.9%, social insurance and social protection – 15.5%. The healthcare sphere receives on average 7.2% of the budget expenditures for the social sector.
Another Tajik government’s priority is the fuel and energy industry, which receives an average of a fifth of the country’s budget.The priority of this sector and, accordingly, large financing is explained by the implementation of the Rogun Hydropower Plant construction project.
Over the past two years, more than $421 million of budget funds were allocated for this facility construction: 2.1 billion somoni in 2019 ($220.4 million) and the same amount in 2020 ($220 million). Although international financial institutions, including the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, recommended the country’s government to refrain from large funding for this project, since it negatively affects the social sectors.
The budget expenditures for construction of the Rogun HPP rose sharply in 2016, after the authorities chose the Italian company Salini Impregilo S.p.A. as a general contractor. However, after the first two units commissioning, the spending gradually decreased.
Tajikistan’s state budget expenditures on the fuel and energy industry
Budget expenditures for the classified sectors – law enforcement and defense, amounted to 8%.
Expenditures for the other sectors of the economy and other spending make up 20% of the total budget expenditures. These funds are allocated to servicing external and internal debt, funds, as well as those sectors not falling under categories.
Expenditures on government sector account for about 7% of budget expenditures, and on transport and communications – 6%.
Tajikistan’s state budget expenditures on other sectors by year (%)