Uzbekistan

Republic of Uzbekistan

Central Asia Tashkent

Population

37.02M

Area

447,400 km²

GDP

$114.97B

GDP Per Capita

$10,500

Pop. Density

83/km²

Quick Facts

Currency

so'mUzbekistani soʻm(UZS)

Calling Code

+998

Timezone

UTC+05:00

Languages

Russian, Uzbek

Driving Side

right

Demonym

Uzbekistani

Background

Uzbekistan is the geographic and population center of Central Asia, with a diverse economy and a relatively young population. Russia conquered and united the disparate territories of present-day Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after the Bolshevik Revolution was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic established in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to the overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, leaving the land degraded and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half-dry. Independent since the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dissolved in 1991, the country has diversified agricultural production while developing its mineral and petroleum export capacity and increasing its manufacturing base, although cotton remains a major part of its economy. Uzbekistan’s first president, Islom KARIMOV, led Uzbekistan for 25 years until his death in 2016. His successor, former Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV, has improved relations with Uzbekistan’s neighbors and introduced wide-ranging economic, judicial, and social reforms. MIRZIYOYEV was reelected in 2021 with 80% of the vote and again following a 2023 constitutional referendum with 87% of the vote.

Historical Trends

GDP (USD)

↑563.4% since 2006

$17B (2006)$115B (2024)

Population

↑36.2% since 2006

26.7M (2006)36.4M (2024)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Latest: 72.4 years

2006: 67.9 years2023: 72.4 years

Data source: World Bank Open Data

Geography20

Location

Central Asia, north of Turkmenistan, south of Kazakhstan

Geographic coordinates

41 00 N, 64 00 E

Map references

Asia

Area

total : 447,400 sq km
land: 425,400 sq km
water: 22,000 sq km

Area - comparative

about four times the size of Virginia; slightly larger than California

Land boundaries

total: 6,893 km
border countries: Afghanistan 144 km; Kazakhstan 2,330 km; Kyrgyzstan 1,314 km; Tajikistan 1,312 km; Turkmenistan 1,793 km

Coastline

0 km (doubly landlocked)

Maritime claims

none (doubly landlocked)

Climate

mostly mid-latitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

Terrain

mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zaravshan; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west

Elevation

highest point: Xazrat Sulton Tog' 4,643 m
lowest point: Sariqamish Kuli -12 m

Natural resources

natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum

Land use

agricultural land

58.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 9.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 47.9% (2023 est.)

forest

8.7% (2023 est.)

other

31.8% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

37,305 sq km (2022)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Aral Sea (shared with Kazakhstan) - largely dried up

Major rivers (by length in km)

Syr Darya (shared with Kyrgyzstan [s], Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan [m]) - 3,078 km; Amu Darya river mouth (shared with Tajikistan [s], Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan) - 2,620 km

note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: (Aral Sea basin) Amu Darya (534,739 sq km), Syr Darya (782,617 sq km)

Population distribution

most of the population is concentrated in the fertile Fergana Valley in the easternmost arm of the country; the south has significant clusters of people, but the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

Natural hazards

earthquakes; floods; landslides or mudslides; avalanches; droughts

Geography - note

along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world

People & Society36

Population

total: 37,015,151 (2025 est.)
male: 18,576,048
female: 18,439,103

Nationality

noun: Uzbekistani
adjective: Uzbekistani

Ethnic groups

Uzbek 83.8%, Tajik 4.8%, Kazakh 2.5%, Russian 2.3%, Karakalpak 2.2%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.9% (2017 est.)

Languages

Languages: Uzbek (official) 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
major-language sample(s):
Jahon faktlari kitobi, asosiy ma'lumotlar uchun zaruriy manba. (Uzbek)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

Age structure

0-14 years: 29.6% (male 5,597,947/female 5,213,403)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 11,649,017/female 11,617,411)
65 years and over: 6.7% (2024 est.) (male 1,077,849/female 1,364,966)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 57.3 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 46.3 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 11.1 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 9 (2025 est.)

Median age

total: 29.2 years (2025 est.)
male: 28.1 years
female: 29.8 years

Population growth rate

1.26% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

18.93 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

urban population: 50.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

2.603 million TASHKENT (capital) (2023)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

23.7 years (2019 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

26 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 17.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 21.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.2 years (2024 est.)
male: 73.6 years
female: 79 years

Total fertility rate

2.6 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.25 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban

urban: 98% of population (2022 est.)

improved: rural

rural: 95.2% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 96.6% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 2% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 4.8% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 3.4% of population (2022 est.)

Health expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 7.7% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 7.1% of national budget (2022 est.)

Physician density

2.81 physicians/1,000 population (2021)

Hospital bed density

4.9 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban

urban: 98.1% of population (2022 est.)

improved: rural

rural: 98.7% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 98.4% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 1.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 1.3% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 1.6% of population (2022 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

16.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 2.45 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 2.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 15.4% (2025 est.)
male: 30.2% (2025 est.)
female: 1% (2025 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.8% (2021 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

74.7% (2022 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15: 0.2% (2022)
women married by age 18: 3.4% (2022)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP): 5.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 22.1% national budget (2024 est.)

Literacy

total population: 100% (2022 est.)
male: 100% (2022 est.)
female: 100% (2022 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 13 years (2024 est.)
male: 13 years (2024 est.)
female: 13 years (2024 est.)

Government25

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Uzbekistan

conventional short form

Uzbekistan

local long form

O'zbekiston Respublikasi

local short form

O'zbekiston

former

Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology

the name comes from the local people, the Uzbeks, whose name is said to have originated with Mongol leader Ghiyath ad-Din Muhammad UZBEK; the Persian suffix -stan means "country"

Government type

presidential republic; highly authoritarian

Capital

name: Tashkent (Toshkent)
geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 69 15 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the current name of the ancient city was first used in the 11th century and comes from the Sogdian (Turkic) words tash (stone) and kent (town); the city was first recorded in the 5th or 4th century B.C. with the name of Chach or Shash

Administrative divisions

12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonom respublikasi), and 3 cities** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati, Buxoro Viloyati [Bukhara Province], Farg'ona Viloyati [Fergana Province], Jizzax Viloyati, Namangan Shahri, Namangan Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi), Qoraqalpog'iston Respublikasi [Karakalpakstan Republic]* (Nukus), Samarqand Shahri [Samarkand City], Samarqand Viloyati [Samarkand Province], Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston), Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri [Tashkent City]**, Toshkent Viloyati [Nurafshon], Xorazm Viloyati (Urganch)

Legal system

civil law system

Constitution

history: several previous; latest adopted 8 December 1992
amendment process: proposed by the Supreme Assembly or by referendum; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of both houses of the Assembly or passage in a referendum

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Uzbekistan
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state

President Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (since 14 December 2016)

head of government

Prime Minister Abdulla ARIPOV (since 14 December 2016)

cabinet

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with most requiring approval of the Senate chamber of the Supreme Assembly (Oliy Majlis)

election/appointment process

president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister nominated by majority party in the Supreme Assembly but appointed along with the ministers and deputy ministers by the president

most recent election date

9 July 2023 

election results

2023: Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV reelected president in snap election; percent of vote - Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (LDPU) 87.7%, Robaxon Maxmudova (Adolat) 4.5%, Ulugbek Inoyatov (PDP) 4%, Abdushukur Xamzayev (Ecological Party) 3.8%

2021: Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (LDPU) 80.3%, Maqsuda VORISOVA (PDP) 6.7%, Alisher QODIROV (National Revival Democratic Party) 5.5%, Narzullo OBLOMURODOV (Ecological Party) 4.1%, Bahrom ABDUHALIMOV (Adolat) 3.4%

expected date of next election

2030

Legislative branch

legislature name: Supreme Assembly (Oliy Majlis)
legislative structure: bicameral

Legislative branch - lower chamber

chamber name

Legislative Chamber (Qonunchilik palatasi)

number of seats

150 (all directly elected)

electoral system

mixed system

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

most recent election date

11/7/2024 to 11/12/2024

parties elected and seats per party

Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businesspeople - Liberal Democratic Party (UzLiDeP) (64); Milliy Tiklanish Democratic Party (O'zMTDP) (29); Social Democratic Party ("Adolat" SDP) (21); People's Democratic Party (XDP) (20); Ecological Party (O'EP) (16)

percentage of women in chamber

38%

expected date of next election

October 2029

Legislative branch - upper chamber

chamber name

Senate (Senat)

number of seats

65 (56 indirectly elected; 9 appointed)

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

most recent election date

10/27/2024

percentage of women in chamber

24.6%

expected date of next election

November 2029

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 67 judges organized into administrative, civil, criminal, and economic sections); Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges)
judge selection and term of office: judges of the highest courts nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate of the Oliy Majlis; judges appointed for a single 10-year term; the court chairman and deputies appointed for 10-year terms without the right to reelection. (Article 132 of the constitution)
subordinate courts: regional, district, city, and town courts

Political parties

Ecological Party of Uzbekistan or EPU
Justice Social Democratic Party or ASDP
People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan or PDP
Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party or UzLiDep
Uzbekistan National Revival Democratic Party or UzMTDP

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Furqat SIDIKOV (since 19 April 2023)

chancery

1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone

[1] (202) 887-5300

FAX

[1] (202) 293-6804

email address and website

[email protected]

https://www.uzbekistan.org/

consulate(s) general

New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Jonathan HENICK (since 14 October 2022)

embassy

3 Moyqorghon, 5th Block, Yunusobod District, 100093 Tashkent

mailing address

7110 Tashkent Place, Washington DC  20521-7110

telephone

[998] 78-120-5450

FAX

[998] 78-120-6335

email address and website

[email protected]

https://uz.usembassy.gov/

International organization participation

ADB, CICA, CIS, EAEU (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EEU (observer), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Independence

1 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 September (1991)

Flag

description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by narrow red stripes with a vertical white crescent moon and 12 five-pointed white stars in the left corner of the top band

meaning: blue stands for the Turkic peoples and the sky, white for peace and the striving for purity in thoughts and deeds, and green for nature and Islam; the red stripes represent the vital force of all living organisms; the crescent stands for Islam, and the 12 stars for the months and constellations of the Uzbek calendar

National symbol(s)

khumo (mythical bird)

National color(s)

blue, white, red, green

National anthem(s)

title: "O'zbekiston Respublikasining Davlat Madhiyasi" (National Anthem of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
lyrics/music: Abdulla ARIPOV/Mutal BURHANOV
history: adopted 1992; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan kept the music of its Soviet-era anthem but adopted new lyrics

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 7 (5 cultural, 2 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Itchan Kala (c); Historic Bukhara (c); Historic Shakhrisyabz (c); Samarkand - Crossroad of Cultures (c); Western Tien Shan (n); Cold Winter Deserts of Turan (n); Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor (c)

Economy32

Economic overview

lower-middle income Central Asian economy; key exporter of natural gas, cotton, and gold; ongoing reform efforts to reduce state-owned sector dominance, attract foreign investment, and improve sustainability of cotton production

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $379.989 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $356.797 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $335.678 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2024: 6.5% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 6.3% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 6% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024: $10,500 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $10,000 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $9,600 (2022 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$114.965 billion (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 9.6% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 10% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 11.4% (2022 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 18.3% (2024 est.)
industry: 31.8% (2024 est.)
services: 45.2% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption

68% (2024 est.)

government consumption

13.9% (2024 est.)

investment in fixed capital

37.1% (2024 est.)

investment in inventories

-3.8% (2024 est.)

exports of goods and services

22.8% (2024 est.)

imports of goods and services

-38% (2024 est.)

Agricultural products

milk, wheat, cotton, potatoes, carrots/turnips, tomatoes, grapes, watermelons, vegetables, apples (2023)

Industries

textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, mining, hydrocarbon extraction, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate

7.2% (2024 est.)

Labor force

13.974 million (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2024: 4.5% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 4.5% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 4.5% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 10.9% (2024 est.)
male: 7.2% (2024 est.)
female: 18.1% (2024 est.)

Population below poverty line

11% (2023 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2023: 34.5 (2023 est.)

Average household expenditures

on food: 46.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 3.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.1% (2023 est.)
highest 10%: 25.3% (2023 est.)

Remittances

Remittances 2024: 14.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Remittances 2023: 13.8% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 17.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

Budget

revenues: $21.565 billion (2023 est.)
expenditures: $25.953 billion (2023 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016: 10.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

11.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2024: -$5.738 billion (2024 est.)
Current account balance 2023: -$7.799 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$2.847 billion (2022 est.)

Exports

Exports 2024: $26.173 billion (2024 est.)
Exports 2023: $25.05 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $20.966 billion (2022 est.)

Exports - partners

Switzerland 34%, Russia 12%, UK 11%, China 7%, Turkey 6% (2023)

Exports - commodities

gold, cotton yarn, garments, fertilizers, fabric (2023)

Imports

Imports 2024: $43.624 billion (2024 est.)
Imports 2023: $42.646 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $35.643 billion (2022 est.)

Imports - partners

China 32%, Russia 17%, Kazakhstan 8%, S. Korea 6%, Turkey 5% (2023)

Imports - commodities

cars, vehicle parts/accessories, packaged medicine, refined petroleum, aircraft (2023)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024: $41.237 billion (2024 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $34.558 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $35.774 billion (2022 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2023: $25.714 billion (2023 est.)

Exchange rates

Currency

Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

12,652.287 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

11,734.833 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

11,050.145 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

10,609.464 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

10,054.261 (2020 est.)

Energy7

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 17.901 million kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 75.753 billion kWh (2023 est.)
exports: 2.043 billion kWh (2023 est.)
imports: 4.977 billion kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 3.433 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 90.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
hydroelectricity: 8.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal

production: 6.379 million metric tons (2023 est.)
consumption: 8.941 million metric tons (2023 est.)
exports: 4,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 3.521 million metric tons (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 1.375 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 64,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 111,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 594 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas

production: 43.249 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
consumption: 44.455 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
exports: 1.308 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
imports: 2.514 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 1.841 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 55.305 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Communications6

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 6.147 million (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 40.2 million (2024 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1,110 (2024 est.)

Broadcast media

state-controlled media; 17 state-owned broadcasters, including 13 TV and 4 radio, with national service; about 20 privately owned TV stations, overseen by local officials, broadcast locally; privately owned TV stations required to lease transmitters from state-owned Republic TV and Radio Industry Corporation (2019)

Internet country code

.uz

Internet users

percent of population: 89% (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 10.8 million (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2023 est.)

Transportation4

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports

74 (2025)

Heliports

3 (2025)

Railways

total: 4,642 km (2018)
broad gauge: 4,642 km (2018) 1.520-m gauge (1,684 km electrified)

Military & Security6

Military and security forces

Armed Forces of Uzbekistan: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces; National Guard

Ministry of Internal Affairs: Internal Security Troops, Border Guards, police (2024)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2019: 2.8% of GDP (2019 est.)
Military Expenditures 2018: 2.9% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military Expenditures 2017: 2.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
Military Expenditures 2016: 2.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
Military Expenditures 2015: 2.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

limited available information; estimated 50,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Uzbek Armed Forces use mainly Russian or Soviet-era armaments with smaller quantities of items from suppliers such as China, Türkiye, and the US; Uzbekistan has a small defense industry, which is involved in repairing and maintaining aircraft and armored vehicles, as well as producing light armored vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles/drones, and other military items (2025)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 for voluntary/contract service for men and women; 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service for men with a 12-month service obligation (2025)

Military - note

the military’s responsibilities include ensuring the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing its borders, and assisting with internal security; regional security and international terrorism are areas of concern; Uzbekistan joined the Russian-sponsored Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the 1990s but withdrew in 1999; it returned in 2006 but left again in 2012; although not part of CSTO, Uzbekistan continues to maintain defense ties with Russia, including joint military exercises and defense industrial cooperation; it also has defense ties with other regional countries, including Azerbaijan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Turkey; it is part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and participates in SCO training exercises (2025)

Transnational Issues1

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees: 8,505 (2024 est.)
stateless persons: 20,000 (2024 est.)

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