Tashkent ranks third globally for pace of urban change

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Tashkent has ranked third in the world for the pace of urban change, according to a new global study by Boston Consulting Group.

The report, "Built for Change: Cities of Choice 4.0," published on 16 June 2026, evaluated 80 cities worldwide and placed the Uzbek capital behind only Shenzhen and Riyadh on its speed-of-change measure. Tashkent leads all cities in Central Asia and the Caspian region on this indicator.

Doha, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Jeddah and Mumbai follow Tashkent in the speed-of-change ranking, placing the Uzbek capital alongside the most dynamic cities in China and the Middle East.

The study drew on more than 200 indicators, over five million data points and a survey of 24,000 residents across 80 cities covering up to ten years of data. Objective statistical data account for 80 percent of the final score, with resident surveys making up the remaining 20 percent. Cities were assessed across five dimensions: speed of change, economic opportunity, quality of the urban environment, social capital and engagement with government.

The report's central argument reframes the logic of urban competitiveness. Strong infrastructure, human capital and global brand recognition no longer guarantee resident trust and support, the authors conclude. The defining measure of a city's success is its ability to convert change into tangible improvements in daily life — savings in time, reliable transport, quality digital services, growth in disposable income after essential expenses and expanded opportunities for work, leisure and personal development. Residents and capital are drawn not only by what a city has already achieved, but by its perceived trajectory.

BCG Senior Partner and Managing Director Vladislav Butenko, one of the report's authors, explained the thinking behind the new approach. Conventional city rankings tend to assess current conditions, whereas residents weigh not only results already delivered but also the direction of travel. A city with strong foundations can lose resident support if people see no progress, while a city starting from a lower base builds trust when change is felt in everyday life. The next stage of competition between cities, he said, will be determined not by what has already been built, but by how quickly and visibly quality of life improves for residents.

Tashkent's data bear this out directly. The city's Advocacy score — measuring residents' willingness to stay, recommend the city to others and connect their future to it — stands at 88 points, the highest among all Central Asian cities included in the study. The report identifies a direct correlation between the pace of urban change and this measure of resident support: the most dynamic cities are not always the wealthiest or best-developed in infrastructure terms, but they are the ones that make change visible in daily life. Residents now compare cities in real time, and their expectations are rising faster than many urban development programmes can deliver.

BCG Managing Director and Partner Andrei Novitsky, who heads the firm's Tashkent office, said the high ranking confirms that change in Tashkent is happening rapidly not only by local standards but by international ones as well. The key task now, he said, is converting that momentum into real improvements in residents' quality of life — from cleaner air and a cleaner city to shorter commutes, more comfortable public spaces and recreational areas, greater resilience to emergencies and better accessibility for people with disabilities.

BCG Partner and Director Ekaterina Shapochka, who also contributed to the report, called for a shift in how urban progress is measured. Cities must move from counting completed projects to measuring what residents actually receive. A new public transport line, a digital service or a housing programme delivers genuine value only when it saves people time, simplifies everyday tasks and reinforces residents' confidence that the city is moving in the right direction.

Beyond its speed-of-change ranking, Tashkent records strong results in several other areas. On safety and longevity, the city surpasses London, Berlin, Boston, Los Angeles, Dubai, Singapore and Astana in life expectancy. The report notes, however, that healthy ageing — maintaining quality of life as longevity grows — remains a priority for further development.

On social life, Tashkent shares first place globally with Ho Chi Minh City for the frequency with which residents meet friends outside work and study. The result points to high levels of social interaction, resident optimism and the particular importance of in-person connection in the culture of the Uzbek capital. Tashkent leads all cities in Central Asia and the Caspian region on this indicator.

Under the study's methodology, all 80 cities are grouped into five socioeconomic tiers based on GDP per capita and population size: Established World Centers, Emerging Megacities, Established Global Hubs, Prosperous Middleweights and Emerging Middleweights. Tashkent is placed in the last of these groups alongside Baku, Almaty and Astana. Across baseline indicators, Tashkent's results are broadly comparable to those of its regional peers; it stands out sharply on the pace of transformation. The strongest positive momentum recorded over the past decade falls in the categories of economic opportunity and engagement with government.