About Central Asia

Stretching from China in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, the countries of Central Asia have a population of more than 72 million and represent a wide diversity of ethnic groups and languages. The physical landscape is dramatic, ranging from vast steppes to high, rugged mountains, formidable deserts to large rivers, lakes, and seas. The USAID Mission to Central Asia has worked in partnership with the region’s countries since their independence in the early 1990s, helping to foster resilient, growth-oriented, inclusive societies. Since independence, each Central Asian country has followed dramatically divergent development trajectories. While some parts of Central Asia would not be out of place in the developed world; others remain in poverty.

USAID/Central Asia advances the U.S. Government’s Central Asia Strategy, which supports and strengthens the sovereignty and independence of the Central Asian States, individually and as a group; encourages regional connectivity between Central Asia and Afghanistan; promotes rule of law and respect for human rights; and promotes U.S. investment in and development of Central Asia — to foster greater regional stability and prosperity.

USAID/Central Asia supports a stable and prosperous Central Asia that is free to pursue political, economic, and security interests on its own terms, with partners of its choosing; a Central Asia that is connected to global markets and open to international investment; a Central Asia with strong, democratic institutions, rule of law, and respect for human rights.

To achieve this, USAID/Central Asia supports regional connectivity and cooperation among the five countries of Central Asia, while building linkages with the United States, Afghanistan, and beyond. USAID’s regional efforts in Central Asia focus on five main sectors, which are foundational for regional prosperity and security: Trade and enterprise development; energy; environment (including transboundary water resource management); countering trafficking-in-persons; and countering violent extremism.