Uzbekistan updates poverty benchmark – monthly minimum set at UZS 715,000

Uzbekistan has updated its minimum consumption expenditure indicator for 2026, setting it at UZS 715,000 per person per month. The figure serves as the country’s poverty threshold and has increased by 6.9 percent compared to the previous year.

According to the National Statistics Committee, the updated minimum consumption expenditure reflects the estimated amount required to cover essential monthly needs for one person.

In 2025, the indicator stood at UZS 669,000 per person per month.

The minimum consumption expenditure indicator is widely used in international practice as a benchmark for determining the poverty line. In Uzbekistan, it plays a key role in several policy areas, including:

identifying target groups eligible for state financial and social assistance;
improving the effectiveness and targeting of poverty reduction strategies and programs, as well as ensuring their continuous monitoring;
determining minimum pension and benefit levels, along with other forms of financial assistance provided to low-income families.

The poverty threshold has been adjusted several times in recent years.

During 2024, the indicator was increased twice. At the beginning of the year, it rose from UZS 568,000 to UZS 621,000 per person per month. Later, starting from May 1, the figure was raised again by 4.3 percent – reaching UZS 648,000 – following increases in natural gas and electricity tariffs. Overall, the annual increase amounted to 7.7 percent.

According to official data, inflation in Uzbekistan stood at 7.3 percent in 2025, marking a decline compared to 9.8 percent recorded in the previous year.