Growth in household income accelerates in Uzbekistan as remittances surge

Overall income levels

As of the end of September 2025, total household income in Uzbekistan reached UZS 825.3 trillion, according to a report by the National Statistics Committee.

Nominal household income rose by 18.4%, while real growth stood at 8.4%. During the same period in 2024, these figures were 17.9% and 7.7%, respectively.

Per capita income grew by 16.1% in nominal terms (compared to 15.5% in the third quarter of 2024) and by 6.3% in real terms (5.5% previously). As a result, average per capita income in the first nine months of 2025 amounted to UZS 21.8 million, up from UZS 17.4 million a year earlier.

Regional disparities

The highest per capita incomes were registered in Tashkent city (UZS 52.03 million), Navoi (UZS 32.05 million), Bukhara (UZS 25.97 million), Khorezm (UZS 22.82 million), and Tashkent region (UZS 21.94 million). In these five regions, per capita income exceeded the national average.

The lowest figures were observed in the Republic of Karakalpakstan (UZS 14.84 million), Namangan (UZS 15.83 million), and Surkhandarya (UZS 16.48 million). The income gap between Tashkent city and Karakalpakstan widened from 3.32 to 3.51 times.

The highest real growth in per capita income was recorded in Fergana (13.4%), Tashkent city (10.3%), and Kashkadarya (6.6%). In contrast, the smallest increases were seen in Andijan (1.1%), Karakalpakstan (2.2%), and Tashkent region (3.3%).

Composition of household income

The largest share of total household income – 33.8% – came from self-employment and other labor activities. Transfers accounted for 30.2%, while income from migrant workers made up 26.1%.

In Fergana, Andijan, Khorezm, and Samarkand regions, the share of income from transfers exceeded 38% of total household income. In contrast, Navoi region recorded the lowest share at 13.9%.

The share of remittances from abroad (including other current transfers) rose to 21.5% of total household income. Dependence on remittances was particularly high in Fergana, Khorezm, and Andijan regions.

Economist: Without remittance growth, real incomes would have declined in eight regions

According to economist Mirkomil Kholboev, remittances remain a crucial factor in income growth across Uzbekistan.

“Nearly half of the country’s average income growth (8 percentage points) is due to the sharp rise in remittances. In eight regions, more than half of income growth has been driven by remittances. The highest contribution of remittances to income growth was recorded in Khorezm (78.7%) and Samarkand (77.7%),” he wrote.

Kholboev noted that without remittance growth, per capita real income would not have increased nationwide, and eight regions would have seen a decline in real income. The steepest potential declines would have occurred in Samarkand (–5%), Khorezm (–4.6%), Surkhandarya (–4.3%), and Andijan (–3.1%).

In contrast, Tashkent city recorded the highest income growth without the impact of remittances – 7.1% in real terms – which Kholboev attributes to robust growth in the services sector. Despite Fergana region’s high dependence on remittances (33.7% of total income), per capita income there would not have fallen even without their increase.

He added that given the strong link between remittances, income, and consumption, the actual impact of remittance stagnation would likely have been even more severe than the model suggests. “In many regions, remittances have become the main driver of income growth, and their importance has been steadily increasing in recent years,” Kholboev emphasized.