Uzbekistan outpaces regional peers in latest Index of Economic Freedom

Uzbekistan has achieved a significant milestone in the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom, climbing 14 positions to rank 86th out of 184 countries. For the first time since the report's inception, the nation’s economy has been elevated to the "moderately free" category, signaling a shift in its global economic standing.

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According to the latest data, Uzbekistan’s overall score increased by 2.3 points compared to 2025, reaching a total of 60.3 points out of a possible 100. In the current global rankings, Uzbekistan is positioned closely between Sao Tome and Principe (85th) and Namibia (87th).

Performance across key indicators

The 2026 report highlights a positive trend, with Uzbekistan showing improvement in 8 out of 12 sub-indicators. Two indicators remained stable, while two others saw a decline. Notable changes include:

Rule of Law: Property rights saw a substantial leap to 43.1 (+9.6) and government integrity rose slightly to 32 (+0.8). However, judicial effectiveness experienced a setback, dropping to 13.7 (–0.8).
Government Size: Positive shifts were recorded in tax burden at 95 (+2.2), government spending at 73.7 (+0.1), and fiscal health at 79.9 (+6.6).
Regulatory Efficiency: Monetary freedom reached 65.1 (+0.5) and labor freedom rose to 48.4 (+0.5), but business freedom declined to 62.5 (–1.9).
Open Markets: Investment freedom saw a major boost to 70 (+10), while trade freedom (80.6) and financial freedom (60) remained unchanged.

Historical context and regional standing

The transition to "moderately free" marks the end of a long period in lower tiers. From 1998 to 2006, Uzbekistan was classified as "repressive," moving to "mostly unfree" between 2007 and 2009, before falling back into the "repressive" category from 2010 to 2016. Since 2017, the country had remained in the "mostly unfree" group until this year’s breakthrough.

Despite the progress, the report notes that "the overall rule of law remains weak in Uzbekistan," pointing out that scores for property rights, judicial effectiveness, and government integrity still sit below the global average.

Within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Armenia (52nd) and Azerbaijan (67th) lead the rankings. Uzbekistan currently outperforms several regional neighbors, including:

Kazakhstan: 68th
Moldova: 101st
Kyrgyzstan: 114th
Tajikistan: 131st
Russia: 145th
Belarus: 150th
Turkmenistan: 160th

Global outlook

On the global stage, Singapore (84.4), Switzerland (83.7), and Ireland (83.3) maintain their positions at the top of the index. Conversely, Venezuela (27.3), Cuba (25.2), and North Korea (3.1) remain at the bottom. The global average for economic freedom saw a slight uptick this year, rising to 59.9 points from 59.7 in the previous period.