Kyrgyzstan plans to abolish all regions and districts, replacing them with aimaks

What the authorities announced

In Kyrgyzstan, as part of the second stage of the administrative-territorial reform, the existing regions and districts are planned to be abolished and replaced with more than 20 large administrative units — aimaks. This was announced by Elchibek Zhantaev, director of the State Agency for Public Service and Local Self-Government, reports Kaktus.media citing his statement. According to the outlet, the country currently has 7 regions, 40 districts and 34 cities.

What the aimaks will be like

Zhantaev explained that aimaks will be larger than districts but smaller than regions: instead of more than 40 districts, more than 20 units will be created. When merging territories, he said, geographic location and economic potential will be taken into account. He gave examples: the Issyk-Kul region could be divided into northern and southern parts, while small districts of the Jalal-Abad and Osh regions could be merged with neighbors that have higher development potential. The agency names as the goal of the reform reducing duplicating governing bodies and simplifying the governance system.

Pilot project and timeline

President Sadyr Zhaparov had spoken about these plans earlier. In April 2026, he stated that first, as an experiment, one aimak would be created and for one to three years they would observe whether it could govern itself and operate without dependence on funds from the republican budget; only if the experiment succeeds will regions and districts be abolished across the country. According to Gazeta.uz citing 24.kg, at a meeting with residents of the Nookat district, Zhaparov clarified that the pilot aimak would be created for two to three years, and the key criterion of effectiveness would be the ability to manage without subsidies from the republican budget. He also noted that before the full transition, “there is still time, about three to four years.”

What has already been done in the first stage

The administrative-territorial reform in Kyrgyzstan began in 2023. According to Zamon.uz, in the first stage the number of rural administrative units was reduced from 452 to 231, the number of cities increased from 32 to 33, and the territories of 14 cities were expanded by incorporating neighboring settlements. According to Gazeta.uz, the president called the first stage successfully completed. At the same time, publications differ on the current number of districts and cities: Zhantaev, according to Daryo.uz, spoke of 40 districts and 34 cities, while Zhaparov at the meeting, as reported by Gazeta.uz, spoke of 44 districts and 33 cities.