Uzbekistan

• 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

• 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

• 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, while the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

• earthquakes;
• floods;
• landslides or mudslides;
• avalanches;
• droughts

noun:

Uzbekistani

adjective:

Uzbekistani

total:

28.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

28.1 years

female:

29.8 years

• 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, while the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

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.)

total:

18.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

21.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

15.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

76.2 years (2024 est.)

male:

73.6 years

female:

79 years

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.)

total:

17.6% (2020 est.)

male:

34% (2020 est.)

female:

1.1% (2020 est.)

women married by age 15:

0.2%

women married by age 18:

3.4% (2022 est.)

• shrinkage of the Aral Sea has resulted in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts;
• these substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification and respiratory health problems;
• water pollution from industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause of many human health disorders;
• increasing soil salination;
• soil contamination from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals, including DDT

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

50.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

40.98 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

91.81 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

96.16 megatons (2020 est.)

• 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

municipal:

2.41 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

2.13 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

54.36 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

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:

a combination of the Turkic words "uz" (self) and "bek" (master) with the Persian suffix "-stan" (country) to give the meaning "Land of the Free"

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:

tash means "stone" and kent means "city" in Turkic languages, so the name simply denotes "stone city"

• civil law system;
• note: in early 2020, the president signed an amendment to the criminal code, criminal procedure code, and code of administrative responsibility;
• a constitutional referendum passed in April 2023 included criminal code reforms

history:

several previous; latest adopted 8 December 1992

amendments:

• 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;
• amended several times, last in 2023

note: in a public referendum passed in April 2023, among the changes were the extension of the presidential term to 7 years from 5 years, and modifications to the structure and powers of the Supreme Assembly and to the criminal code

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

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)

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term; previously a 5-year term, extended to 7 years by a 2023 constitutional amendment);
• election last held on 9 July 2023 (next to be held in 2030);
• prime minister nominated by majority party in legislature since 2011 but appointed along with the ministers and deputy ministers by the president

election results:

• 2023: Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV reelected president in snap election;
• percent of vote - Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (LDPU) 87. 7 1%, Robaxon Maxmudova (Adolat) 4.47%, Ulugbek Inoyatov (PDP) 4.05%, Abdushukur Xamzayev (Ecological Party) 3.77%

;

• 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%

;

• 2016: Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV elected president in first round;
• percent of vote - Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (LDPU) 88.6%, Hotamjon KETMONOV (PDP) 3.7%, Narimon UMAROV (Adolat) 3.5%, Sarvar OTAMURODOV (National Revival Democratic Party) 2.4%, other 1.8%

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

• Ecological Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Ekologik Partivasi)
• Justice (Adolat) Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan
• Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Liberal-Demokratik Partiyasi) or LDPU
• National Revival Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Milliy Tiklanish Demokratik Partiyasi)
• People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (Xalq Demokratik Partiyas) or PDP (formerly Communist Party)

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

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/

• three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by red fimbriations with a vertical, white crescent moon (closed side to the hoist) and 12 white, five-pointed stars shifted to the hoist on the top band;
• blue is the color of the Turkic peoples and of the sky, white signifies peace and the striving for purity in thoughts and deeds, while green represents nature and is the color of Islam;
• the red stripes are the vital force of all living organisms that links good and pure ideas with the eternal sky and with deeds on earth;
• the crescent represents Islam and the 12 stars the months and constellations of the Uzbek calendar

name:

"O'zbekiston Respublikasining Davlat Madhiyasi" (National Anthem of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

lyrics/music:

Abdulla ARIPOV/Mutal BURHANOV

note: adopted 1992; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan kept the music of the anthem from its time as a Soviet Republic but adopted new lyrics

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)

• lower middle-income Central Asian economy;
• CIS Free Trade Area member but no intention of EAEU membership;
• key natural gas, cotton, and gold exporter;
• landlocked and environmentally fragile;
• positive growth through COVID-19, but poverty increasing

Fitch rating:

BB- (2018)

Moody's rating:

B1 (2019)

Standard & Poors rating: BB- (2018)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

23% (2023 est.)

industry:

30.5% (2023 est.)

services:

41% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

11% (2023 est.)

male:

7.1% (2023 est.)

female:

18.3% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

46.4% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

3.2% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.5% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

23.2% (2022 est.)

production:

5.356 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

7.396 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

9,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

2.194 million metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

1.375 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

64,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

91,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

594 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

47.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

43.227 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports:

5.595 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

12,000 cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

1.841 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• Uzbekistan’s telecom markets both wireline and wireless have been playing "catch up" in terms of their development following the country's independence from the former Soviet Union;
• the government has formally adopted the principles of operating as a market economy, many elements of the old centrally planned economic model remain;
• this has had the effect of reducing the level of interest from foreign companies and investors in building out the necessary underlying infrastructure, which in turn has constrained the rate of growth in the country’s telecoms sector;
• the last five years has seen an upswing in prospects for the sector as fiber network roll outs continue beyond the main urban centers, while the mobile market experiences some consolidation for stronger, more efficient competitors;
• growth is present in the fixed broadband segment with penetration projected to reach 24% by 2027 (a 5-year CAGR of 6.2%);
• despite the promising signs in the fixed markets, it is the mobile segment that continues to dominate Uzbekistan’s telecoms sector in terms of penetration, revenue, and growth;
• there are four major operators providing a modicum of competition;
• three of the four are government owned entities (2024)

domestic:

fixed-line nearly 16 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity of 103 per 100 persons (2022)

international:

• country code - 998;
• linked by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch;
• the country also has a link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable;
• Uzbekistan has supported the national fiber-optic backbone project of Afghanistan since 2008

• the government controls media;
• 17 state-owned broadcasters - 13 TV and 4 radio - provide service to virtually the entire country;
• about 20 privately owned TV stations, overseen by local officials, broadcast to local markets;
• privately owned TV stations are required to lease transmitters from the government-owned Republic TV and Radio Industry Corporation;
• in 2019, the Uzbek Agency for Press and Information was reorganized into the Agency of Information and Mass Communications and became part of the Uzbek Presidential Administration (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 34

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

3,056,558 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

89.43 million (2018) mt-km

total:

4,642 km (2018)

broad gauge:

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

• the Uzbek Armed Forces use mainly Russian or Soviet-era weapons and equipment with smaller quantities of items from suppliers such as China, Turkey, 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 (2024)

• 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service;
• 12-month conscript service obligation for men (those conscripted have the option of paying for a shorter service of 1 month while remaining in the reserves until the age of 27) (2023)

note: Uzbek citizens who have completed their service terms in the armed forces have privileges in employment and admission to higher educational institutions

refugees (country of origin):

13,031 (Afghanistan) (mid-year 2022)

stateless persons:

31,829 (2022)