Number of Uzbeks Going Abroad for Study Decreased by One Third

There is a decline in interest in studying abroad among citizens of Uzbekistan. In the first nine months of 2026, 16,522 people traveled to foreign countries for educational purposes. This figure is 8.1 thousand people, or 33%, less than in the same period last year.

Changes in Popular Destinations

The list of most sought-after countries for study has changed. While Tajikistan led the way last year, Russia now holds the top spot. Previously, Tajikistan held the first position, but in the current period, it dropped to seventh place in the ranking.

According to data from the National Committee on Statistics, in January-September 2025, 5.5 thousand Uzbeks chose Tajikistan for their studies, whereas in 2026, this number decreased to 904 people.

Russia is currently the leader, with 3.8 thousand Uzbek citizens traveling there in nine months. The Republic of Kyrgyzstan is in second place with 2.8 thousand people, and the Republic of Korea is in third place, having accepted 2.1 thousand students.

Among other popular destinations, Turkey remains, chosen by 1.8 thousand Uzbeks during the reporting period. Additionally, 1.2 thousand people went to China for education, and 1.1 thousand to Kazakhstan.

European countries and the USA did not make it into the top seven most popular destinations. 784 Uzbek citizens traveled to the United Kingdom for study, 374 to Germany, and 231 to the United States. Furthermore, almost 1.3 thousand Uzbeks chose other countries for their studies.

The trend of a decrease in the number of Uzbeks leaving the country for study was observed previously as well. In the first two months of 2026, this figure was 3.9 thousand people, which is 1.2 thousand less than the previous year.

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Number of Uzbek citizens studying abroad decreased by a third

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podrobno.uzOctober 19, 09:55

Uzbekistan's Population Exceeds 39.5 Million; Samarkand Region Leads in Population Size

According to the latest data, the permanent population of Uzbekistan has reached over 39.5 million people. Over the past year, the country's population increased by almost 700 thousand people.

According to information from the National Committee on Statistics, as of October 1, 2026, there were 39,535,225 people residing in Uzbekistan. This figure demonstrated a growth of 692.2 thousand, corresponding to an increase of 1.8% compared to the same period last year. The calculations took into account the results of the conducted population census.

The largest number of residents in Uzbekistan live in the Samarkand region, where there are 4.46 million people. The Fergana region is in second place with a population of 4.29 million people, and Tashkent region is in third place, with 3.8 million residents.

In the Kashkadarya region, the population approached 3.75 million, and the Andijan region has 3.57 million people. In the city of Tashkent itself, approximately 3.28 million people reside permanently.

Three other regions have a population exceeding three million people: these are Namangan region with 3.19 million, Surkhandarya region with 3.03 million. Karakalpakstan has 2.17 million people, Khorezm region has 2.16 million, and Bukhara region has 2.13 million.

Three regions have a population of less than two million people. Jizzakh region has 1.55 million residents, and Navoi region has slightly over 1.2 million. Syrdarya region shows the lowest population density, with 965.4 thousand permanent residents registered.

It was previously announced that a unified statistical register of the population in Uzbekistan would be created. This new system is designed to calculate the current population of the country and ensure the regular publication of up-to-date data.