Declines outweigh gains: How is Uzbekistan’s position changing in international rankings?
|21:01 / 13.06.202521,0908 min
Over the past year, Uzbekistan has experienced a decline in 7 out of the 15 international rankings and indices it has prioritized, while improving in 6. In two other rankings – press freedom and corruption perception – Uzbekistan’s position in the “red” category remained unchanged, though its scores in these indices have decreased.
Photo: KUN.UZPhoto: KUN.UZ
At the end of May, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis reviewed a national report on improving Uzbekistan’s standing in priority international rankings and indices. In this context, Kun.uz examined the trends over the past year.
In a 2024 resolution, Uzbekistan outlined a list of 15 priority international rankings and indices. This article focuses on the country’s performance in these rankings.
Economic Freedom Index
Published by the Heritage Foundation, the Index of Economic Freedom – 2025 ranks Uzbekistan 100th out of 184 countries with a score of 58 points. The country’s ranking improved by 2.1 points and rose three positions compared to 2024. However, Uzbekistan remains among countries with economies classified as “not free.”
In this index, Uzbekistan recorded positive changes in 8 out of 12 indicators, while negative changes were observed in 2. The remaining 2 indicators showed no change.
The report notes, “The rule of law in Uzbekistan remains weak. Property rights, judicial effectiveness, and government integrity are below the global average.”
Worldwide Press Freedom Index
According to the 2025 Worldwide Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Uzbekistan retained its 148th position out of 180 countries, with the situation for press freedom still classified as “very serious.”
Uzbekistan’s press freedom score dropped from 37 points out of 100 last year to 35 points this year. Declines were recorded across all five indicators used in the ranking.
Human Development Index
In the 2025 Human Development Index (HDI), prepared by the United Nations Development Programme, Uzbekistan ranked 107th out of 193 countries and territories, down one position from the previous year.
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The HDI evaluates countries based on three key indicators: life expectancy, expected and actual years of education, and per capita gross national income at purchasing power parity.
Uzbekistan’s HDI score was 0.740, with the maximum possible score being 1.000. The country falls within the “high” human development category and is positioned between South Africa and Bolivia. Among Central Asian countries, only Kazakhstan ranked in the “very high” human development category, at 60th place.
Corruption Perception Index
In the 2024 Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, Uzbekistan was ranked 121st out of 180 countries.
While its ranking remained unchanged, Uzbekistan’s score dropped by one point. On a 100-point scale (where 0 indicates extremely high corruption and 100 indicates very low corruption), Uzbekistan scored 32 points, down from 33 in 2023. Countries such as Angola, Ecuador, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Togo received the same score for their anti-corruption efforts.
This marks the first decline in Uzbekistan’s score in this index since 2012.
Logistics Performance Index
In the 2025 Logistics Performance Index, Uzbekistan fell to 107th place out of 139 countries, down from 88th. Its score decreased by 0.1 points to 2.5.
The index evaluates six indicators, including:
Efficiency of customs procedures, including speed, predictability, and convenience of inspections;
Quality of transport infrastructure, encompassing ports, railways, roads, and IT systems;
Ease of arranging competitively priced deliveries;
Competence of logistics services, such as transport and customs operations;
Ability to track shipments in real time;
Timely delivery within scheduled deadlines.
UN E-Government Survey
The 2025 UN E-Government Survey, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), has not yet been released. In 2024, Uzbekistan climbed six positions to 63rd place with an index score of 0.7999, joining the “Very High EGDI” group.
Rule of Law Index
In the 2024 Rule of Law Index by the World Justice Project, Uzbekistan ranked 83rd out of 142 countries.
This marks the first decline in Uzbekistan’s ranking since 2016, with the country dropping five positions compared to 2023.
The index is based on indicators such as constraints on government powers, anti-corruption measures, open government, human rights, protection and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice. Uzbekistan achieved a high score only in the protection and security category.
Women, Business and Law Index
According to the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law Index, last updated for 2023, Uzbekistan rose 48 positions to 91st place out of 190 countries, with a score of 82.5 points.
This significant improvement placed Uzbekistan among the top five countries implementing major reforms in women’s rights and gender equality.
Global Innovation Index
In the 2024 Global Innovation Index, Uzbekistan ranked 83rd out of 133 countries with an index score of 24.7%, down one position from 2023. The country’s overall score (26.2% in 2023) saw a notable decline.
Published since 2007 by the World Intellectual Property Organization and its partners, the index considers factors such as foreign direct investment inflows, GDP, infrastructure, human capital, scientific development, and other metrics.
Additional rankings
Beyond the above, Uzbekistan achieved the following:
Statistical Capacity Index (World Bank): 80.3 points, 62nd place (+17 positions).
Competitive Industrial Performance Index: 88th place out of 153 countries (+1 position).
Sustainable Development Goals Index: 69.2 points, 81st place (-12 positions).
In the OECD’s Country Risk Classification System, Uzbekistan’s position (Group 5) remained unchanged.
The World Bank’s Governance Indicators showed little change: three out of six major indicators improved, while three worsened.
Uzbekistan’s international credit rating also remained stable, though its outlook improved. In May 2025, S&P Global Ratings affirmed Uzbekistan’s sovereign credit rating at “BB-” and upgraded its outlook from “stable” to “positive” for the first time.
The 15 rankings and indices discussed above were officially designated as priorities for Uzbekistan in 2024. From 2020 to 2024, the Democracy Index was also a priority but was excluded from the updated 2024 list. In the 2025 Democracy Index, Uzbekistan lost 0.2 points but rose two positions to 146th place due to declines in other countries’ rankings. International observers rated Uzbekistan’s democracy level at 2.10 out of 10, slightly down from 2.12 the previous year.
