Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Remittances from labour migrants to Uzbekistan increased 13.1% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026 to US$5.5 billion. In the first quarter, their volume rose 12.9% to US$3.8 billion, according to the Central Bank of Uzbekistan.
The data are presented in the labour market review for the second quarter of 2026. A year earlier, according to the regulator, remittances amounted to US$3.4 billion in the first quarter and US$4.9 billion in the second quarter. Thus, Uzbekistan received about US$9.3 billion in remittances in the first half of 2026. The Central Bank noted that the growth rate of remittances was slightly lower than in the first half of 2025 but remained high.
Remittances from Kazakhstan grow fastest
Remittance flows continue to diversify by country. In January-June 2026, remittances from Kazakhstan recorded the fastest growth, increasing 28.2% year-on-year. Transfers from the United States rose 18.8%, from Türkiye by 14.2% and from South Korea by 11.4%. Remittances from other countries combined increased 44.4%.
Transfers from migrants working in Russia increased 8.8%, slower than from most other destinations.
Fewer migrants travel to Russia
Changes in the structure of remittances reflect shifts in labour migration. In January-June 2026, 1.18 million Uzbek citizens travelled to Russia for work, 13.2% fewer than a year earlier. Compared with the number of Uzbek citizens working in Russia under patents in the first half of 2025, the figure declined 9.2%.
At the same time, the number of Uzbek citizens in Türkiye, South Korea, Europe and the United States is increasing. Their combined number in these regions grew 10.1% in 2024 and 8% in 2025, reaching nearly 320,000 by the end of last year.
The largest increase was recorded in Europe and Türkiye. In 2025, the number of Uzbek migrants in the European Union increased 13.2%, while the number in Türkiye rose 10.7%. As of 1 July 2026, 70,000 Uzbek citizens were in Türkiye, 9.3% more than a year earlier, while 102,200 were in South Korea, an increase of 3.3%.
Impact on the labour market and incomes
According to the Central Bank, the decline in migration to Russia is increasing the supply of labour in the domestic market. This could slow wage growth in some sectors and relatively reduce employers’ labour costs.
At the same time, the regulator noted that lower migration from certain regions could lead to a decline in remittance inflows there, negatively affecting household incomes and consumer demand.
