The ATO green roads profiles present country-level perspectives on how 35 Asia-Pacific economies are addressing the development and management of sustainable eco-friendly roads. Drawing from diverse datasets and policy documents, the profiles highlight practices and measures that contribute to greener transport infrastructure.

Developed by the Asian Transport Observatory (ATO) in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF), the profiles are designed to complement the Green Roads Toolkit. The toolkit provides a practical reference for integrating good practices across nine dimensions:

• Decarbonization
• Climate resilience
• Water and land management
• Pollution reduction
• Conserving biodiversity
• Responsible sourcing of materials
• Improving quality of life
• Disaster preparedness
• Fostering inclusive growth

This 2025 edition builds on earlier work to provide a comprehensive resource for guiding the planning, development, construction, and management of greener, more sustainable roads.

Geography shapes the network in the Kyrgyz Republic. Here, roads are more than just infrastructure—they form the main link across 192,000 square kilometers of rugged terrain. With a population of 7.2 million, the country depends on a 51,500-kilometer road network, whose structure reveals its connectivity story: only 5% are motorways or primary highways, while 89% are local and rural roads that reach remote valleys. The road density of 269 meters per square kilometer is below the OECD average but aligns with the mountainous landscape frontier.

The engine of the economy is decoupling from carbon, but the pace is uneven. By 2024, the sector emitted 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. While emissions grew by 2.1% annually since 2000, the economy expanded faster, achieving a reduction in emissions intensity of 15.1% per year since 2015. This outperforms the Asia-Pacific regional average improvement of 5.4%. The carbon intensity of the road sector now stands at 25 grams of CO2e per USD of GDP, slightly leaner than the regional average of 26 grams.

Electrification is a market reality. Between 2015 and 2024, the country imported $1.2 billion worth of electric vehicles (EVs). By 2024, EVs accounted for 22% of total road vehicle imports, a figure that signals a rapid fleet transformation. The structural advantage lies in the grid. The electricity powering these vehicles carries a carbon intensity of 168 gCO2/kWh, vastly cleaner than the Central and West Asia average of 495 gCO2/kWh. However, a regression of 0.9% in grid cleanliness since 2015 warrants caution; an electric fleet is only as green as the grid behind it.

Yet, the air carries a heavy price. The external costs of transport are paid in public health. The World Bank estimates the annual cost of health damages from PM 2.5 exposure at $1.8 billion—roughly 5% of the nation's GDP. The road sector is the primary culprit, responsible for 96% of transport-related PM 2.5 emissions. This pollution, combined with ozone exposure, claimed at least 170 lives prematurely in a single year. Safety remains an equally urgent crisis. With 869 road crash fatalities in 2021.The economic burden of road crashes in the Kyrgyz Republic is substantial. Fatalities and serious injuries cost an estimated 372 million USD in 2021, equivalent to roughly 4% of the country's GDP. This is a significant drain on resources, especially when compared to the 5.4% of GDP spent on healthcare in the same year. In Kyrgyz Republic, road crash fatalities decreased by approximately -4.1% per year between 2016 and 2021. However, this is not enough to reach the 2030 target to halve the fatalities by 2030

The National Road Vulnerability Index ranks the Kyrgyz Republic 164th out of 208 countries, indicating a network with low redundancy where the loss of a key segment leads to critical failure. Nature compounds this fragility. Since 2000, landslides have accounted for 31% of natural disasters, with earthquakes and floods adding to the toll. Under a 4.5-degree warming scenario, nearly 40% of road and rail assets face exposure to extreme precipitation. The financial implication is direct: average annual losses to transport infrastructure hover around $2.4 million, with roads absorbing 85% of this damage.

Access remains the dividing line. The Rural Access Index reveals that 1.3 million people—nearly a fifth of the population—live beyond 2 kilometers of an all-season road. They are cut off from markets, healthcare, and schools. In urban centers, the situation is improving but unequal; only 33% of agglomerations provide convenient public transport access to the majority of their residents. Furthermore, the sector's economic benefits are not shared equally. Women comprise a mere 8.6% of the transport workforce, significantly lower than the already low regional averages.

The Kyrgyz Republic stands at a distinct pivot point. The rapid uptake of electric vehicles and a comparatively clean grid offer a clear pathway to decarbonization, outperspacing regional peers in intensity improvements. However, the physical network remains vulnerable to climate shocks and lacks the redundancy required for resilience. The "last mile" remains the hardest mile: 1.3 million rural residents are isolated, and the economic opportunities within the sector are not yet inclusive.

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