According to data from the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Forecasting, the total volume of the Central Asian countries' economy may exceed $600 billion for the first time in 2026. Furthermore, industrial production in the region is showing annual growth of almost 6%.
Akramjon Ne'matov, Director of the First Deputy of the Strategic and Interregional Scientific Research Institute, reported that the aggregate size of the economies of Central Asian states could surpass the $600 billion mark in 2026. He also noted that industrial production in the region is growing by approximately 6% per year, and the population is approaching 85 million people.
More than half of the region's population is aged around 27 years or younger. There is a noticeable increase in cargo flow along transport routes. Specifically, the volume of goods transported through the Middle Corridor has increased from nearly 1.5 million tons to over 4 million tons, and container shipments have grown from 33 thousand to 77 thousand standard containers.
Concurrently, the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway continues. The future annual capacity of this project is expected to reach 15 million tons. This figure was previously officially announced by Uzbekistan.
Ne'matov emphasized that the region needs to stop being solely a transit zone. The creation of industrial enterprises and logistics centers along transport routes, as well as the development of processing, financial, and digital services, will allow for greater added value generation.
This information was presented at an international conference in Italy dedicated to the role of Central Asia in Eurasian transport and economic ties.
