Dushanbe - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
The expat community is small. I think most people are happy with the offerings of Dushanbe, however most expats fly to neighboring countries every few months for a change of scenery. - Dec 2025
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
