A trend is being observed in Uzbekistan regarding the increase in the number of citizens who begin receiving pensions without having the full required length of service. This situation is exacerbated by informal employment and non-payment of social tax, which directly affects the size of future pension benefits.
According to current regulations, men must have 25 years of service, and women must have 20 years. If the actual service is below the established minimum, the pension is calculated proportionally to the number of years worked.
Statistical data demonstrates significant changes over the past years. If in 2010 the share of new pensioners without full service was only 6%, by 2025 this figure jumped to 61%. Currently, one-third of new pensioners retire without the necessary service. Furthermore, the overall share of such citizens among all pensioners has increased from 3% in 2010 to 39% in 2025.
At the same time, a quarter of pensioners receive payments ranging from 820 thousand to 1 million soms. The main factors contributing to this problem are informal employment, receiving wages 'under the table,' non-compliance with social tax payment rules, and the absence of necessary documents in archives to confirm employment activity.
Since the pension amount is determined by officially registered service, salary level, and paid social tax, informal employment inevitably lowers the financial stability of citizens in the future. It should be noted that Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have concluded an agreement on the mutual recognition of pension service.