Birth rate started declining in Uzbekistan

According to the Statistics Agency, in January-February 2024, 137,459 newborns were registered with the civil registry office of the republic. Compared to the same period of the previous year, this figure decreased by 3,631 (2.6%).

Economist Otabek Bakirov notes that some trends indicate that this situation may continue.

“Firstly, the number of registered marriages has been decreasing for the second year in a row, and in 2023 the smallest number of marriages was registered for the new period (283.8 thousand). A lower figure was recorded in 2016 (275 thousand).

Secondly, despite artificial bureaucratic barriers, the number of divorces in 2023 reached an all-time high of 49.2 thousand. This number may not reflect current reality and may also be the effect of weakening barriers from previous years.

Third, and most importantly, revenue growth has slowed sharply. In 2023, real per capita income growth slowed to a seven-year low of 2.4%, excluding the year of the pandemic. Real incomes decreased in 5 regions,” the economist wrote.

Otabek Bakirov added that the sharp increase in the birth rate in the new period was due to a high correlation with income growth.

“The long-term trend in fertility dynamics is still being shaped by many factors, such as urbanization, gender challenges, migration, and confidence in the future,” he wrote.

The annual number of births in Uzbekistan has increased steadily since 2018.