Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover triples over decade to $81.2B

BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 30. Uzbekistan’s
foreign trade turnover more than tripled over the past decade,
rising from $25.8 billion in 2016 to $81.2 billion in 2025.

This was reflected in the infographic released by Uzbekistan’s
Ministry of Economy and Finance.

According to the ministry, this figure represents an increase of
$55.4 billion, or approximately 215%, meaning that the volume of
foreign trade for this period increased 3.15-fold. The growth
reflects Uzbekistan’s deeper integration into global markets,
broader trade ties, and expanding participation in international
supply chains.

Exports reached $33.8 billion in 2025, up 2.5 times from 2016.
This implies an increase of roughly $20.3 billion, or about 150%,
over the decade. The number of export markets also expanded
substantially, from 79 countries in 2016 to 132 in 2025, an
increase of 53 markets, or about 67%.

Imports grew even faster, reaching $47.4 billion in 2025, nearly
3.9 times the 2016 level. Based on the reported multiple, imports
increased from roughly $12.2 billion to $47.4 billion, representing
an estimated gain of $35.3 billion, or about 291%. Uzbekistan
imported goods from 158 countries in 2025, compared with 127
countries in 2016.

The composition of trade also changed. Exports accounted for
41.7% of foreign trade turnover in 2025, down from 52.9% in 2016,
while the import share increased from 47.1% to 58.3%. The shift
points to the faster expansion of imports, consistent with the
country’s investment and industrial modernization drive.
Uzbekistan’s machinery and transport equipment imports, for
example, have been a major feature of its broader modernization
process.

The figures show that Uzbekistan’s opening to international
trade has produced a much larger external trade base, but they also
highlight a continuing challenge: imports are growing faster than
exports. In 2025, the gap between imports and exports stood at
$13.6 billion, meaning export revenues covered about 71.3% of
import spending. Strengthening higher-value exports and reducing
the structural trade deficit will therefore remain important as
Uzbekistan seeks to turn expanding global integration into
sustained economic gains.

Trend's analysis
indicates that Uzbekistan’s foreign trade has undergone a clear
expansion and diversification trend over the past decade. Foreign
trade turnover rose from $25.8 billion in 2016 to $81.2 billion in
2025, while exports increased from their 2016 level by 2.5 times to
$33.8 billion and imports grew 3.9 times to $47.4 billion. The
number of export markets also expanded from 79 to 132 countries,
while import sources increased from 127 to 158. At the same time,
the trade structure shifted toward imports: their share of total
turnover climbed to 58.3% in 2025, from 47.1% in 2016, while
exports fell to 41.7% from 52.9%.

Meanwhile, Trend's
assessment shows that the figures indicate that Uzbekistan’s
opening of the economy has significantly expanded its participation
in international trade, but the faster growth of imports presents a
key structural challenge. Rising imports can reflect stronger
domestic demand, investment, and purchases of machinery and
industrial inputs needed to expand production. However, the
widening gap with exports means that stronger export capacity will
be increasingly important. The expansion of export destinations is
a positive sign, as it reduces dependence on a limited number of
markets and provides greater opportunities for Uzbek producers to
enter new markets. The next stage of trade development will
therefore depend not only on increasing volumes, but also on
expanding higher-value exports and improving the competitiveness of
domestic industries.

Trend's
calculations show that the increase in trade turnover from $25.8
billion to $81.2 billion represents a gain of $55.4 billion, or
about 215%, with the total volume becoming approximately 3.15 times
larger. Exports rose by roughly 150%, while imports increased by
about 290%, showing that imports expanded nearly twice as fast as
exports over the period. In 2025, the difference between imports
and exports was $13.6 billion, with exports covering about 71.3% of
imports. The number of export destinations increased by 53
countries, or 67.1%, indicating that the expansion of trade has
been accompanied by a broader geographic reach.