According to preliminary data from the National Statistics Committee, exports fell 8.8% year-on-year to $15.86 billion, while imports rose 21% to $25.15 billion. As a result, the foreign trade deficit widened to $9.29 billion, compared with $3.38 billion a year earlier.
The export figures were heavily affected by a sharp decline in gold shipments. Excluding gold, Uzbekistan’s merchandise exports increased 28.7% year-on-year to $8.2 billion.
Gold exports fall more than fourfold
Uzbekistan exported $1.5 billion worth of gold in the first half of 2026, down from $6.49 billion in the same period of 2025. Gold exports therefore fell 4.3-fold.
Gold’s share of total exports dropped from 37.3% to 9.5%, significantly changing the overall structure of the country’s exports.
Services accounted for 39.1% of exports, up from 26.3% a year earlier. The share of industrial goods increased from 11.3% to 15.2%, while chemicals rose from 5.6% to 8.1% and various manufactured goods from 4% to 8.6%.
Services became Uzbekistan’s largest export category, with exports rising 35.7% to $6.2 billion from $4.57 billion a year earlier.
Travel services accounted for 52.9% of service exports, at around $3.3 billion. Transport services made up 31.6%, or $1.96 billion, while telecommunications, computer and information services accounted for 8.8%, or $545.3 million.
Exports of industrial goods increased 22.8% to $2.41 billion. Textile yarn, fabrics and finished textile products accounted for $975.9 million, up 20.7%, while non-ferrous metals brought in $882 million, up 12.7%. Exports of non-metallic mineral products increased 35.6% to $175.2 million.
Exports of various manufactured goods nearly doubled, rising 94.9% from $700 million to $1.36 billion. Clothing and clothing accessories accounted for $629.9 million, up 31.4%.
Exports of machinery and transport equipment increased 32.3% to $632.9 million. Exports of other transport equipment rose 64.2%, power-generating machinery increased 27.7%, and telecommunications and sound-recording equipment exports quadrupled. Car exports, however, fell 5.4%.
Chemical exports increased 31.7% to $1.28 billion. Inorganic chemicals accounted for $789.1 million, up 45.5%, while fertilizer exports remained broadly unchanged at $207.8 million. Exports of plastics in primary forms rose 19.2% to $138.9 million.
Food and live animal exports increased 9% to $1.32 billion, raising their share of total exports from 7% to 8.3%.
Fruit and vegetable exports reach $872.9 million
Uzbekistan exported 1.087 million tons of fruit and vegetable products in January–June, up 0.8% from a year earlier.
In value terms, fruit and vegetable exports rose 3% from $847.1 million to $872.9 million, accounting for 5.5% of total exports.
Fruit exports declined 20% in volume terms, from 198,200 tons to 158,500 tons, while their value fell 3.9% from $250.4 million to $240.6 million.
Cherry exports dropped 16.7% to $59.9 million, while apricot exports fell 25.1% to $30.5 million. At the same time, exports of dried apricots almost doubled, rising 93.8% to $25.2 million.
Vegetable exports increased 21.6% to $190.3 million. Onion exports rose 11.4% to $82.1 million, cabbage exports increased 10.9% to $53.8 million, and tomato exports jumped 43.8% to $33.8 million.
Textile exports rise 24%
Uzbekistan exported $1.6 billion worth of textile products in the first half of 2026, up 24.1% year-on-year.
Textiles accounted for 10.1% of total exports. Finished textile products made up 52.6% of textile exports, while yarn accounted for 31.1%.
Imports climb 21%
Uzbekistan’s imports increased 21% year-on-year in January–June, from $20.78 billion to $25.15 billion.
Goods imports rose by about $4 billion to $22.2 billion, while services imports totaled around $3 billion.
Machinery and transport equipment remained the largest import category, with imports rising 25.1% to $8.25 billion. Its share of total imports increased from 31.8% to 32.8%.
Imports of vehicles and other transport equipment reached $2 billion, up 31.7%. Passenger car imports surged 84.5% to $778.3 million, while imports of automotive parts and accessories increased 12.7% to $904.3 million.
Imports of electrical machinery and equipment increased 44.4% to $1.38 billion. Power-generating machinery imports rose 56% to $839.7 million, while telecommunications equipment imports nearly doubled to $840.9 million.
Food and live animal imports recorded the fastest growth among the major categories, rising 44.2% to $2.82 billion. Their share of total imports increased from 9.4% to 11.2%.
Imports of cereals and cereal products increased 67.3% to $761.1 million. Meat and meat products rose 42.1% to $480.8 million, while imports of sugar, sugar products and honey increased 48.6% to $362.7 million.
Fruit and vegetable imports increased 35.6% to $325.7 million, while dairy products and eggs rose 38.8% to $203.9 million.
Imports of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials increased 19.3% to $2.23 billion.
Oil and petroleum product imports reached $1.11 billion, up 8.1%, while natural and manufactured gas imports rose 41.4% to $971.7 million. Propane imports increased 3.6-fold to $86.3 million.
Gasoline imports climbed 78.5% to $409.5 million, while diesel fuel imports fell 11.1% to $228.9 million.
Electricity imports declined 15.6% to $55.1 million, while electricity exports increased 13.4% to $116.2 million.
