ADB’s $20.5 Million Grant Opens Path to Wider Pension Coverage Across Tajikistan

The project will address barriers that leave many workers outside the system, introducing faster, safer and easier-to-access services for people who already contribute or receive pensions.

Retirement security could become more accessible for thousands of people in Tajikistan after the Asian Development Bank approved a $20.5 million grant to expand pension coverage and modernize the delivery of retirement and other social benefits. The project will address barriers that leave many workers outside the system, introducing faster, safer and easier-to-access services for people who already contribute or receive pensions. For families facing rising living costs, the investment supports protections that can make a difference when earnings fall, or working life comes to an end.

Making Retirement Security Easier to Access

Pension benefits in Tajikistan are among the lowest in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, leaving many older people with limited financial security. Informal and seasonal employment, self-employment and labour migration keep large numbers of workers outside the pension system, creating gaps in protection that can follow them into retirement. Higher food and fuel prices, transport and supply disruptions, and uncertainty surrounding labour migration linked to the conflict in the Middle East are adding pressure on low-income households, pensioners, informal workers and women.

ADB President Masato Kanda said retirement security should not depend on paperwork or how far someone lives from an office, highlighting the practical obstacles that can prevent people from accessing support. He connected the project with the growing financial strain on families as the Middle East conflict pushes up costs, describing stronger social protections and wider coverage as important responses. The grant will help Tajikistan reach workers who remain outside the system and improve the services people already rely on.

Replacing Paperwork With Faster, Safer Services

The Agency of Social Insurance and Pension will receive secure data centres, digitized records and a single digital platform covering client services and administration, supported by stronger cybersecurity and better information sharing with other government agencies. These changes are intended to make benefit delivery more efficient and protect the information used to administer pensions and other support. At least 320,000 existing contributors and 250,000 pensioners are expected to receive faster and more secure services through the platform.

Agency offices in Dushanbe and Bokhtar will be upgraded, with staff trained to use the new systems so improvements in technology translate into better service for the people visiting or contacting them. Financing includes $19.5 million from ADB's Asian Development Fund and $1 million from the High-Level Technology Fund, financed by the Government of Japan through ADB. Within the Asian Development Fund contribution, $12.32 million comes from ADB's support package for countries affected by the economic and financial consequences of the Middle East conflict.

Extending Protection to Workers and Families Left Out

Expanding coverage will be a central part of the project, with support for informal and self-employed workers, labour migrants and their families to enter the pension system. These groups can face working arrangements that leave them disconnected from formal retirement protection, making wider participation important for their future financial security. Bringing more workers into the system will extend the reach of social insurance beyond those already served by the agency's existing arrangements.

Women with limited access to benefits will receive help enrolling and connecting with services that include maternal health care and protection from violence. The project links these measures with stronger financial security and a greater ability to cope with natural hazards, recognising that access to support matters across different stages of life and during periods of crisis. Its scope reaches beyond pension administration to address some of the wider vulnerabilities affecting workers and their families.