According to the World Bank report titled 'Making AI Work: Jobs, Firms, and Productivity,' Uzbekistan's economy is projected to grow by 7.9% in 2026, which is the highest figure among countries in the Europe and Central Asia region.
The Bank expects overall GDP growth in Central Asia to reach 5.8% in 2026, compared to an average of 2.2% for the Europe and Central Asia region. For Uzbekistan, growth is forecast to slow to 7.5% in 2027 and 7.1% in 2028, following a growth of 7.7% in 2025.
Money transfers remain an important factor supporting domestic consumption. Russia provides about 70% of these transfers to Uzbekistan, with the volume reaching a record $9.2 billion in the first half of 2026, an increase of 13%.
Uzbekistan continues to attract significant foreign direct investment (FDI), supported by major projects in energy, digital infrastructure, and industry. Foreign investments, including loans and FDI, already account for over 70% of the total investment volume in the country. Furthermore, lending to non-financial organizations in Central Asia has increased by more than 12% in real terms.
Uzbekistan's budget deficit is projected to be 2.2% of GDP in 2026, showing almost no change from the previous year. This is due to the compensation of increased social and investment expenditures by reduced energy subsidies, decreased targeted lending to state enterprises, and rising revenues.
The report authors also note that Uzbekistan has some of the best practices in the region: building permits are issued in less than two weeks, and connection to the power grid takes about two weeks.
A separate section of the report is dedicated to the implementation of artificial intelligence in the Uzbek labor market. According to the 'Listening to Uzbekistan' survey from March 2026, clerical workers face the highest risk of AI-driven automation, with about 80% having a medium or high level of exposure. Meanwhile, actual use of AI in the workplace is most common among specialists (48%) and managers (43%), while it is only 27% among clerical workers, despite the high risk of automation.