Gas production in Uzbekistan hits nine-year low during January-April period

Gas production in Uzbekistan hits nine-year low during January-April period

Natural gas extraction in Uzbekistan dropped by 2.4 billion cubic meters during the first four months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to data from the National Statistics Committee. The country produced 12.6 billion cubic meters of gas between January and April, marking the lowest production volume for this specific four-month period in the last nine years.

By comparison, Uzbekistan extracted 15 billion cubic meters of gas during the first four months of 2025. The downward trajectory becomes even more pronounced when viewed against historical data from the previous decade. For instance, gas production during the first four months stood at 19.5 billion cubic meters in 2018 and reached a peak of nearly 20.5 billion cubic meters in 2019. Subsequent years recorded 17.2 billion cubic meters in 2020, 18.1 billion cubic meters in 2021, 18 billion cubic meters in 2022, 16.3 billion cubic meters in 2023, and 15.3 billion cubic meters in 2024.

On an annual scale, Uzbekistan's gas extraction fell below the 50 billion cubic meter threshold for the first time in 15 years in 2023, closing the year at 46.7 billion cubic meters. This downward trend continued into 2024 with annual volumes dropping to 41.5 billion cubic meters, followed by a slight recovery to 42.3 billion cubic meters in 2025.

Looking ahead, official forecasts suggest a gradual, moderate recovery in annual production over the coming years. Output is projected to reach 42.9 billion cubic meters in 2027, 44.5 billion cubic meters in 2028, 45.5 billion cubic meters in 2029, and 48.5 billion cubic meters by 2030.

This conservative outlook contrasts sharply with previous government targets. The "Uzbekistan–2030" strategy, originally approved in 2023, set an ambitious goal to increase annual gas extraction to 62 billion cubic meters by 2030. However, due to the realities of declining output over the past two years, authorities have scaled back the target volume by approximately 13.5 billion cubic meters.