Objectives — to study the prevalence of overweight and obesity among rural residents of the Kyrgyz Republic with an analysis of gender and ethnic characteristics. Material and methods. This study was conducted in the framework of the international project «Interepid». A representative sample of the population of the northern region of the Kyrgyz Republic (n=1330) with a response of more than 75% was surveyed. The survey included a poll on a special map, including 9 modules based on adapted international methods, objective measurements (blood pressure, height, weight, pulse) and laboratory tests (lipid profile, fasting glucose, creatinine). Standard epidemiological methods were used to estimate the prevalence of risk factors. The Quetelet Index was calculated to assess overweight: weight (kg)/height (m)2. The presence of overweight was recognized with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 kg/m2, obesity — with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 and more. Abdominal obesity was diagnosed with a waist circumference of more than 94 cm for men and more than 80 cm for women. Results. The prevalence of obesity in the group is 25.7% with the prevalence of its incidence for women (33.2% versus 15.7%; p<0.001). The prevalence of abdominal obesity is 52.3%, while its frequency was also higher for women compared to men (68.2% and 31.0%, respectively; p<0.001). A linear relationship was found between the frequency of obesity and age, both among men and women. Ethnic features in the prevalence of obesity among residents of the republic are highlighted. It is shown that Kyrgyz respondents suffer from obesity substantially less than Russian respondents (23.9% versus 30.6%, respectively, p<0.01), which was typical for both men and women. It has been established that obesity is closely associated with arterial hypertension, low or medium level of education, hypodynamia, and such components of metabolic syndrome as hypertriglyceridemia and low levels of HDL-C. Conclusion. The Kyrgyz Republic has a high prevalence of obesity, a frequency of occurrence among women and russian respondents. The presence of obesity is most associated with the presence of hypertension, low or medium level of education and hypodynamics. The current state of affairs requires an integrated approach, and it is necessary that government policies control of population body weight, starting from childhood, with the involvement of mass media, regional authorities and food producers