This report, which has been prepared bythe World Bank in cooperation with the National StatisticalCommittee, provides an assessment of poverty in the KyrgyzRepublic using the most recent data available. The objectiveof this report is to understand to what extent economicgrowth has reduced poverty and led to improved livingconditions for the population during 2000-2005. The reportalso attempts to answer three questions about the KyrgyzRepublic: what is the profile of poor? How has economicgrowth affected the level and composition of poverty? Howhas the labor market contributed to changes in poverty? Thereport is divided into two volumes. The first volume beginswith this chapter which provides an international comparisonof social and other key indicators of the Kyrgyz Republicfollowed by a profile of the poor based upon 2005 householdsurvey data. The second chapter analyzes the linkagesbetween growth and poverty during 2000-2005. The thirdchapter provides our key findings of labor market outcomesand poverty and what the implications are for policy making.The final chapter synthesizes the information from theearlier chapters and provides some policy directions. Thesecond volume provides a more thorough analysis of labormarkets. It covers developments in the labor market, urbanlabor markets, rural labor markets and differences betweenmen and women in the labor market.