Capital

Usbekistan

name: Tashkent (Toshkent)

geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 69 15 E

time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: tash means "stone" and kent means "city" in Turkic languages, so the name simply denotes "stone city"

Citizenship

Usbekistan

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Uzbekistan

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Usbekistan

civil law system; note - in early 2020, the president signed an amendment to the criminal code, criminal procedure code, and code of administrative responsibility; a constitutional referendum passed in April 2023 included criminal code reforms

Suffrage

Usbekistan

18 years of age; universal

Area

Usbekistan

total: 447,400 sq km

land: 425,400 sq km

water: 22,000 sq km

Land use

Usbekistan

agricultural land: 62.6% (2018 est.)

arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 51.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 7.7% (2018 est.)

other: 29.7% (2018 est.)

Location

Usbekistan

Central Asia, north of Turkmenistan, south of Kazakhstan

Age structure

Usbekistan

0-14 years: 22.48% (male 3,612,997/female 3,437,866)

15-64 years: 70.64% (male 11,055,763/female 11,097,841)

65 years and over: 6.88% (2023 est.) (male 933,134/female 1,223,235)

Birth rate

Usbekistan

22.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Usbekistan

5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Usbekistan

Uzbek (official) 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

major-language sample(s):
Jahon faktlari kitobi, asosiy ma'lumotlar uchun zaruriy manba. (Uzbek)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

note: in the semi-autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, both the Karakalpak language and Uzbek have official status

Life expectancy at birth

Usbekistan

total population: 75.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 73.2 years

female: 78.6 years

Major urban areas - population

Usbekistan

2.603 million TASHKENT (capital) (2023)

Median age

Usbekistan

total: 28.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 27.9 years

female: 29.5 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Usbekistan

23.7 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Usbekistan

-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Usbekistan

most of the population is concentrated in the fertile Fergana Valley in the easternmost arm of the country; the south has significant clusters of people, while the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

Population growth rate

Usbekistan

1.61% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Usbekistan

2.92 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Usbekistan

urban population: 50.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Usbekistan

4.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Usbekistan

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2021)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Usbekistan

0.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Usbekistan

8.37% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Usbekistan

14.094 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Usbekistan

14.1% (2013 est.)

Unemployment rate

Usbekistan

7.16% (2021 est.)

7.04% (2020 est.)

5.85% (2019 est.)

note: official data; another 20% are underemployed

Public debt

Usbekistan

24.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

10.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Usbekistan

10.85% (2021 est.)

12.87% (2020 est.)

14.53% (2019 est.)

note: official data; based on independent analysis of consumer prices, inflation reached 22% in 2012

Exports

Usbekistan

$16.399 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$14.532 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$16.993 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Usbekistan

Switzerland 19%, United Kingdom 17%, Russia 15%, China 14%, Kazakhstan 9%, Turkey 8%, Kyrgyzstan 5% (2019)

Imports

Usbekistan

$27.774 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$22.56 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$26.551 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Usbekistan

China 23%, Russia 18%, South Korea 11%, Kazakhstan 9%, Turkey 6%, Germany 5% (2019)

Airports

Usbekistan

53 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Usbekistan

total: 4,820,009 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Usbekistan

total: 26.18 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 77% (2021 est.)

Railways

Usbekistan

total: 4,642 km (2018)

broad gauge: 4,642 km (2018) 1.520-m gauge (1,684 km electrified)

Roadways

Usbekistan

total: 86,496 km (2000)

paved: 75,511 km (2000)

unpaved: 10,985 km (2000)

Telephones - fixed lines

Usbekistan

total subscriptions: 3,470,097 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Usbekistan

total subscriptions: 35 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 100 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Usbekistan

1,100 km (2012)

Disputes - international

Usbekistan

Uzbekistan-Afghanistan: none identified

Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan: field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2004; disputed territory is held by Uzbekistan, but the overwhelming majority of residents are ethnic Kazakhs; the two countries agreed on draft final demarcation documents in March 2022 and signed an agreement demarcating their border in December 2022 

Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan: border delimitation of 130 km of border with Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas; in 2021, border talks between Uzbek and Kyrgyz officials raised the possibility of a land swap arrangement, but a deal was not finalized

Uzbekistan-Tajikistan: none identified

Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan: prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan created water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; in 2021, the two countries reached an agreement to create a joint intergovernmental commission to oversee water management