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Number of active enterprises in Uzbekistan grew by 19% over the year
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UzDaily
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Number of active enterprises in Uzbekistan grew by 19% over the year

According to the National Statistical Committee, as of November 1, 2026, the number of operating enterprises and organizations in Uzbekistan reached 660,400, representing a 19% increase compared to the previous year. In October, the total number increased by 39,337 units, with 34,910 enterprises that resumed operations contributing the main share to this growth.

A year earlier, on November 1, 2025, the country had 554,916 active enterprises and organizations registered. Over the past five years, the number of operating businesses has fluctuated: on November 1, 2022, it was 596,026, then decreased to 503,541 in 2023, and rose to 561,382 in 2024.

Currently, 493,982 business entities are operating in the country. Of these, 489,080 are small enterprises. Additionally, there are 101,101 farms and dakhkans. Small enterprises and microfirms account for 489,100 units, which is equivalent to 74.1% of the total, excluding farms and dakhkans.

Tashkent leads in the number of active enterprises and organizations, with 123,934 units, accounting for 18.8% of the national figure. Among them, 115,184 are business entities, and only 59 are farms and dakhkans.

Among the regions, the Tashkent region leads with 63,259 enterprises (9.6% of the total). Samarkand region follows with 61,298 (9.3%), and Fergana region with 55,119 (8.3%). Kashkadarya region ranks fifth with 49,377 enterprises (7.5%).

Other regions include Andijan region with 44,896, Bukhara region with 38,784, and Namangan region with 38,602. Khorezm region has 37,011 enterprises, and Surkhandarya region has 36,270. Karakalpakstan has 32,466 active enterprises, and Jizzakh region has 32,058. The lowest figures were recorded in Navoi region (26,240) and Syrdarya region (21,078).

Kashkadarya region has the highest number of farms and dakhkans—13,743. Samarkand region has 12,012 such facilities, and Fergana region has 11,378, while Andijan region has 10,503.

Trade remains the largest sector as of November 1, accounting for 27.4% of all active enterprises and organizations, or 181,146 units. Almost all of them belong to small businesses.

The second place is held by the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector, which includes 148,352 enterprises, or 22.5% of the total. Of these, 46,767 are business entities. The third place is occupied by industry with 71,135 enterprises, which accounts for 10.8%. These three largest sectors together account for more than 60.7% of all active enterprises and organizations.

The accommodation and public catering sector had 37,495 enterprises (5.7%), and construction had 36,658 (5.6%). Transport and warehousing included 20,731 companies (3.1%). Healthcare and social services covered 16,243 organizations (2.5%), and information technology and communications accounted for 15,286 (2.3%). Other activities comprised 133,346 enterprises, or 20.2% of the total.

Of approximately 494,000 active commercial enterprises, 395,900, or 80.1%, are in the form of limited liability companies (LLC), making this form the most common in Uzbekistan. Additionally, 52,022 private enterprises (10.5%), 41,170 family enterprises (8.3%), and 652 joint-stock companies (0.1%) are registered in the country. Another 4,285 enterprises (1%) operate under other legal forms.

The number of LLCs has changed significantly over the past five years: in 2022, it was 337,700, then dropped to 297,000 in 2023 and 295,000 in 2024, after which it rose to 299,500 in 2025 and reached 395,900 in 2026. The number of private enterprises decreased from 90,200 in 2022 to 48,300 in 2025, and then increased to 52,000 in 2026. Family enterprises also decreased from 55,800 in 2022 to 37,700 in 2025 before rising to 41,200 in 2026.

From January to October 2026, a total of 75,699 new enterprises were created in Uzbekistan. According to Tax Committee estimates, 19,440 of them, or 25.7%, began generating income from the sale of goods, products, works, and services. This estimate is based on tax declarations for turnover tax and VAT for the period from January to August 2026.

As of November 1, 23,501 enterprises with foreign capital were registered in Uzbekistan. These included 5,137 joint ventures and 18,364 enterprises owned by foreigners. Their number increased by 5,906, or 33.6%, over the year.

The largest growth was demonstrated in trade, where the number of such enterprises increased from 6,286 to 8,473, an increase of 2,187. In industry, the number of enterprises with foreign investment increased by 846, from 3,647 to 4,493. Construction recorded an increase of 597, from 1,358 to 1,955 enterprises.

Over the five-year period, the number of active enterprises with foreign capital increased by 1.8 times. The share of wholly foreign-owned companies among them rose from 57.5% to 78.1%. This growth is mainly due to enterprises owned by foreigners. Their number was 7,416 in 2022, decreased to 7,054 in 2023, then rose to 11,036 in 2024, 13,391 in 2025, and 18,364 in 2026.

The number of joint ventures fluctuated during the same period: in 2022, it was 5,479; in 2023, it was 4,374; in 2024, it was 4,261; in 2025, it was 4,204, before rising to 5,137 in 2026.

By sector, trade had the most enterprises with foreign investment—8,473. These enterprises included 7,253 companies owned by foreigners and 1,220 joint ventures. In industry, there were 4,493 such enterprises, including 1,613 joint ventures and 2,880 companies owned by foreigners. Other activities had 3,946 enterprises with foreign capital. In the IT and communications sector, there were 1,991 enterprises with foreign investment, and 1,955 in construction. The accommodation and public catering sector had 1,021 such enterprises, and transport and warehousing—742. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing had 603 such enterprises, and healthcare and social services—277.

Tashkent accounted for 61.8% of all enterprises with foreign investment, with 14,534 companies. Among them were 11,767 enterprises owned by foreigners and 2,767 joint ventures. Among the regions, the Tashkent region ranked first with 3,260 enterprises (13.9% of the national volume). Samarkand region followed with 832 (3.5%), and Fergana region with 777 (3.3%).

Surkhandarya region had 823 enterprises with foreign capital, including 756 companies owned by foreigners. Andijan region had 601, and Bukhara region had 495. Syrdarya region registered 390 such companies, Navoi region—363, and Namangan region—359. Jizzakh region had 326, and Karakalpakstan—296. The lowest figures were noted in Khorezm region (230) and Kashkadarya region (215).

China topped the list of countries of origin of foreign capital, providing 7,106 enterprises, or 30.2% of the total. These enterprises included 6,127 companies owned by foreigners and 979 joint ventures. Russia ranked second with 16.5%, corresponding to 3,885 enterprises. Of these, 1,044 were joint ventures, and 2,841 were owned by foreigners.

Turkey provided 10.8% with 2,544 companies, and Kazakhstan—6.2% with 1,446 enterprises. Afghanistan is represented by 909 companies (3.9%), and South Korea—783 (3.3%). Other countries include Azerbaijan (554 enterprises), Tajikistan (512), India (499), United Arab Emirates (480), Pakistan (456), Kyrgyz Republic (416), USA (403), Turkmenistan (354), Iran (297), Belarus (291), Germany (270), Great Britain (266), Ukraine (256), and Japan, which showed the lowest figure among the listed countries—149 companies.

From January to October 2026, Uzbekistan registered 5,025 new enterprises with foreign investments. Of these, 677, or 13.5%, began generating revenue from sales.

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Uzbekistan's trade turnover with Persian Gulf countries has increased almost sevenfold over five years
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podrobno.uz

Uzbekistan's trade turnover with Persian Gulf countries has increased almost sevenfold over five years

The trade volume between Uzbekistan and the Persian Gulf countries has increased by almost sevenfold over the past five years, reaching $1.75 billion. Concurrently, investments from the region's states in the Uzbek economy have exceeded $11 billion. The majority of these new investments are directed towards the energy sector, specifically projects for creating solar and wind power plants.

This data was provided by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). According to the bank, Uzbekistan has become the largest trading partner for the Persian Gulf countries in Central Asia, accounting for approximately 45% of the total trade between the two regions.

In 2025, exports of Uzbek goods to the Gulf countries reached $860 million, while imports amounted to $890 million, indicating relatively balanced trade relations. Uzbekistan's exports are based on precious metals, mineral products, and agricultural products. In turn, Uzbekistan purchases aviation equipment, electronics, machinery and equipment, as well as pharmaceutical and chemical products from the Gulf countries.

Significant growth has also been demonstrated in investments. EDB monitoring shows that direct investments from the Gulf countries in Uzbekistan rose from $400 million in 2020 to $11.3 billion by mid-2026, an increase of more than 25 times. Thanks to this indicator, the republic has become one of the fastest-growing recipients of investment in Central Asia, second only to Turkmenistan in total volume.

The United Arab Emirates remains the leading investor among the Gulf states. Uzbekistan attracts a dominant share of investments from Saudi Arabia, receiving over 95% of Saudi Arabia's investment portfolio in the region. ACWA Power is actively involved in implementing these projects.

The EDB also noted the transformation of the investment structure: the share of electricity in the total volume of investments from Gulf countries in Central Asia grew from 2% in 2020 to 34% by mid-2026, reaching $10.5 billion. Among the major energy projects in Uzbekistan are the 500 MW wind power plant in Zarafshan and the Sherabad solar plant in Surkhandarya region, as well as other initiatives for solar and wind generation.

The development of economic ties is accompanied by the improvement of logistics infrastructure. In October 2026, the Emirati company DP World began construction of a dry port near Tashkent, which will include warehouses and container yards for cargo handling.

Overall, the trade turnover of five Central Asian countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain) with six Persian Gulf states increased from $1 billion in 2020 to $3.9 billion in 2025. The EDB forecasts that by 2030, the trade potential between the regions could reach $4.9 billion. However, the bank points to several obstacles slowing this growth, including high transport costs, lack of warehouse infrastructure, and difficulties with mutual standard recognition.

Previously, the EDB conducted a study of the Central Asian power system and warned about the possibility of forced reduction in the output of solar and wind power plants in Uzbekistan due to grid limitations. It is estimated that by 2028, the volume of lost electricity could amount to 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours.

Over 621 thousand active enterprises registered in Uzbekistan
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uzdaily.uz

Over 621 thousand active enterprises registered in Uzbekistan

According to the National Statistical Committee, as of October 1, 2026, there were 621,100 active enterprises and organizations operating in Uzbekistan.

The largest number of entities was recorded in the trade sector, which included 170,555 organizations. The second place was held by the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector, with 135,411 enterprises and organizations.

The industrial sector comprised 66,001 organizations. Additionally, 35,439 enterprises were registered in the accommodation and public catering sector, while construction accounted for 34,451 facilities.

Another 19,674 organizations operated in the transport and storage sector. Medical and social services covered 15,845 enterprises and organizations, while 14,426 entities worked in the information and communications field.

The remaining 129,253 organizations were engaged in other types of economic activities.

Small businesses account for 53.8% of Uzbekistan's GDP, generating 904.8 trillion soms
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uzdaily.uz

Small businesses account for 53.8% of Uzbekistan's GDP, generating 904.8 trillion soms

Small enterprises generated 904.8 trillion soms of Uzbekistan's gross domestic product (GDP) from January to September 2026, which accounts for 53.8% of the total national figure. As of October 1st, there were 1,264,500 active small enterprises operating in the country, according to data from the National Statistical Committee of Uzbekistan.

The total number includes 551,100 small enterprises and microfirms, including farms and dehqan farms. Additionally, there are 357,900 individual entrepreneurs registered in the country, 330,800 dehqan farms operating without legal entity status, 18,800 artisans, 4,900 family businesses, and 900 importers.

On average, there are 32.2 small enterprises per 1,000 residents of Uzbekistan. The highest rate was recorded in Tashkent (51.9), followed by Khorezm region (44.7), Syrdarya region (41.5), and Jizzakh region (36.5).

In absolute terms, Tashkent has the largest number of small enterprises—168,700. This is followed by Samarkand region with 122,300, Fergana region with 117,200, and Andijan region with 116,100.

In the first nine months of the year, 66,300 new small enterprises and microfirms were created, excluding farms and dehqan farms. The largest number of new businesses was opened in the trade sector—22,823. Additionally, 8,716 enterprises were established in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 7,924 in industry, and 5,921 in accommodation and public catering.

Small businesses accounted for the largest share of production in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector—93.2%. Their contribution reached 78.3% in transport, storage, information, and communications, and 75.4% in construction.

Small enterprises produced industrial goods worth 380.2 trillion soms, which accounted for 35% of the country's total industrial output. This figure showed a growth of 6.9% compared to the same period in 2025.

Construction work performed by small enterprises increased by 15.3%, reaching 249.8 trillion soms, covering 73.6% of the national volume. Investments in fixed capital from small enterprises grew by 27.5%, amounting to 402.5 trillion soms, or 68.9% of total investments. Production in agriculture, forestry, and fishing grew by 2.1%, reaching 426.9 trillion soms, corresponding to 91.7% of the sector's total volume.

Retail revenue of small businesses increased by 21.5%, reaching 355.4 trillion soms, which is 82.2% of the total volume. Service output grew by 17.4%, totaling 567.5 trillion soms, or 56.6% of the total volume.

Exports of goods and services by small enterprises reached 12.1 billion US dollars, accounting for 47% of Uzbekistan's total exports. Imports amounted to 20.7 billion US dollars, covering 52.3% of the national volume. In the field of road freight transport, small businesses provided 56.4% of transports, while the volume of transported goods increased by 12.5%. They also represented 79% of turnover freight transport, which grew by 10.6%.

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