Dushanbe - Post Report Question and Answers

What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?

Relatively small, but people do hang out. There is a hiking group, a hash group, a weekly ultimate frisbee group, and used to be an expat-run trivia night every couple weeks. Morale is pretty good among the people that love the outdoors (hard to find a better country for hiking, camping, rock climbing, etc.). If you're looking for city life or a thriving cultural scene, you may not be happy in Tajikistan. - Aug 2021


The expat community is on the modest to small side. Overall morale tends to be good - life here in the city is nice, and most people come to Dushanbe with a sense of what the city has to offer. - Apr 2021


There is an expat community, but it doesn't seem to be that social. Morale in the country varies. People who enjoy hiking love it here. - Jun 2020


Small but tightly knit. Morale is pretty good. People come and go but there are a few old-timers who have been here for years. Almost every English-speaking expat is either working for an embassy, a donor, or a language program -- there's very little foreign private investment here. - Dec 2016


Small and morale varied. It was a great community at the Embassy but we were definitely isolated. - Dec 2015


The expat community isn't huge, but overall the morale is good. I did not have a good experience at all, but I had a high-profile job where I had to disappoint many people every day. My acquaintances who were doing more development and aid-type gigs were very popular with the local community and got into the culture, hung out together, etc. Also, families were happy and single men were happy. - Jun 2014


It's small but tight-knit expat community. The moral was quite high when we were there. - Mar 2014


Small and morale really varies. - Oct 2013


About 250 expats. - Jan 2012


A hundred or two in Dushanbe, perhaps another hundred in the rest of the country. There is also a small French military contingent based in Dushanbe and a few hundred Indian medical students. - Jun 2009


Smallish. A few of everyone, but not too many. - Jul 2008


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