According to a report by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, the number of Uzbek citizens working in Russia under patents also declined, falling by 9.2%.
At the same time, Uzbekistan’s labor migration is becoming more diversified, with the number of Uzbek citizens in Turkey, South Korea, European countries and the United States increasing in recent years.
The number of Uzbeks in these destinations grew by 10.1% in 2024 and by a further 8% in 2025. By the end of 2025, their combined number in the countries and regions had reached nearly 320,000.
The strongest growth was recorded in the European Union and Turkey. The number of Uzbek migrants in EU countries increased by 13.2% in 2025, while the number in Turkey rose by 10.7%.
As of July 1, 2026, around 70,000 Uzbek citizens were living in Turkey, up 9.3% from a year earlier. In South Korea, their number reached 102,200.
The Central Bank said the decline in labor migration to Russia could increase the supply of workers in Uzbekistan’s domestic labor market. This could slow wage growth in some sectors and reduce employers’ labor costs.
However, a decline in migration to some destinations could also reduce remittance inflows, potentially putting pressure on household incomes and consumer demand.
