Photo courtesy of kursiv.media
At the end of last year, Uzbekistan’s poverty rate decreased from 11% to 8.9%, lifting 719,000 people out of low-income status. These findings were published on the website of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan.
The study was conducted by experts from the Center for Economic Research and Reforms, the Agency of Statistics under the President of Uzbekistan, and the World Bank. The calculations were based on an internationally recognized methodology, which involves analyzing household budgets across the country over the course of a year.
According to analysts, the lowest poverty rate was recorded in Navoi Region at 5.7%. The following regions also showed relatively low levels of poverty: Tashkent – 7.3%, Samarkand Region – 7.5%, Namangan Region – 7.6%
Meanwhile, the highest poverty rates were observed in:
📍 Khorezm Region – 11.9%
📍 Jizzakh Region – 11.8%
📍 Syrdarya Region – 11.3%
📍 Karakalpakstan – 10.8%
All regions of the country experienced positive changes, but Bukhara and Samarkand Regions achieved the most significant progress, each reducing poverty rates by more than 3 percentage points. Tashkent reported the lowest rate of all, at under 1%.
Experts attribute this positive trend to creation of new jobs, support for entrepreneurship, and effective use of land resources. As a result, real incomes grew by 10.7% over the past year, reaching an average of 2.1 million Uzbek soums ($162) per capita per month. At the beginning of 2024, this figure stood at 1.7 million soums ($131).
📌 Salaries – 42.6%
📌 Entrepreneurial activities – 22.9%
📌 Pensions, social assistance, and subsidies – 18.2%
📌 Agriculture and household plots – 10.7%
📌 Remittances from abroad – 2%
📌 Other sources – 3.6%
On February 3, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting dedicated to poverty reduction. He stated that 2025 should mark a turning point in tackling this issue. To achieve this, the government aims to:
🔹 Provide employment for 5.2 million people
🔹 Lift 1.5 million citizens out of poverty
Representatives of relevant ministries reported that 277,000 people found jobs in January alone:
✅ 91,000 secured permanent employment
✅ 153,000 started their own businesses
Officials also emphasized the strong link between investment and job creation. In 2024, around 8,000 projects worth $14 billion are planned, which could create 272,000 new jobs.
