Uzbekistan Travel Podcast with Timur Rashidov

Location

Central Asia, north of Turkmenistan, south of Kazakhstan

Terrain

Mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zaravshan; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west

Climate

Mostly mid-latitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

Elevation

Highest point

Xazrat Sulton Tog' 4,643 m

Lowest point

Sariqamish Kuli -12 m

Area

Total

447,400 sq km

Land

425,400 sq km

Water

22,000 sq km

Size comparison

About four times the size of Virginia; slightly larger than California

Coastline

0 km (doubly landlocked)

Land borders

Total

6,893 km

Border countries

Afghanistan 144 km; Kazakhstan 2,330 km; Kyrgyzstan 1,314 km; Tajikistan 1,312 km; Turkmenistan 1,793 km

Natural resources

Natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum

Land use

Agricultural land

58.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land

9.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

1% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

47.9% (2023 est.)

Forest

8.7% (2023 est.)

Other

31.8% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Earthquakes; floods; landslides or mudslides; avalanches; droughts

Note

Along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world

Population

Total

37,015,151 (2025 est.)

Male

18,576,048

Female

18,439,103

Nationality

Noun

Uzbekistani

Adjective

Uzbekistani

Ethnic groups

Uzbek 83.8%, Tajik 4.8%, Kazakh 2.5%, Russian 2.3%, Karakalpak 2.2%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.9% (2017 est.)

Languages

Languages

Uzbek (official) 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

Major-language sample(s)

Jahon faktlari kitobi, asosiy ma'lumotlar uchun zaruriy manba. (Uzbek)

Religions

Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

Median age

Total

29.2 years (2025 est.)

Male

28.1 years

Female

29.8 years

Life expectancy

Total population

76.2 years (2024 est.)

Male

73.6 years

Female

79 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

50.5% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

1.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Most of the population is concentrated in the fertile Fergana Valley in the easternmost arm of the country; the south has significant clusters of people, but the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

Largest cities

2.603 million TASHKENT (capital) (2023)

Background

Uzbekistan is the geographic and population center of Central Asia, with a diverse economy and a relatively young population. Russia conquered and united the disparate territories of present-day Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after the Bolshevik Revolution was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic established in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to the overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, leaving the land degraded and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half-dry. Independent since the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dissolved in 1991, the country has diversified agricultural production while developing its mineral and petroleum export capacity and increasing its manufacturing base, although cotton remains a major part of its economy. Uzbekistan’s first president, Islom KARIMOV, led Uzbekistan for 25 years until his death in 2016. His successor, former Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV, has improved relations with Uzbekistan’s neighbors and introduced wide-ranging economic, judicial, and social reforms. MIRZIYOYEV was reelected in 2021 with 80% of the vote and again following a 2023 constitutional referendum with 87% of the vote.

Government

Presidential republic; highly authoritarian

Capital

Tashkent (Toshkent)

Time zone

UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

O'zbekiston Respublikasi

Independence

1 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National day

Independence Day, 1 September (1991)

Overview

Lower-middle income Central Asian economy; key exporter of natural gas, cotton, and gold; ongoing reform efforts to reduce state-owned sector dominance, attract foreign investment, and improve sustainability of cotton production

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$10,500 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$10,000 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$9,600 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

9.6% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

10% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

11.4% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

4.5% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

4.5% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

4.5% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

12,652.287 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

11,734.833 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

11,050.145 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

10,609.464 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

10,054.261 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, mining, hydrocarbon extraction, chemicals

Agriculture

Milk, wheat, cotton, potatoes, carrots/turnips, tomatoes, grapes, watermelons, vegetables, apples (2023)

Airports

74 (2025)

Railways

Total

4,642 km (2018)

Broad gauge

4,642 km (2018) 1.520-m gauge (1,684 km electrified)

Internet domain

.uz

Internet users

Percent of population 89% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

40.2 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

1,110 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts in the shrinking Aral Sea; desertification; water pollution and soil salination from industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides; soil contamination from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals

Fresh water

48.87 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)