Uzbekistan Accelerates Digitalization and Statistical Reform

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the report of the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan and gave directives to accelerate the country’s digitalization and modernization of statistical systems on 27 November.

In February, a presidential decree transformed the Agency for Statistics under the President into the National Statistics Committee, outlining priority areas to enhance efficiency in statistical work. The recent report highlighted progress achieved under these reforms.

Through expanded inter-agency data sharing and 60 system integrations, the reporting burden on businesses has decreased by 27 %. Automated collection now covers data from online tax cash registers, electricity and natural gas consumption, as well as agricultural sowing areas and crop yields.

Improvements in GDP calculation, through more comprehensive coverage of market services, construction, agriculture, industry, and public expenditure, added 81 trillion soms in value, increasing Uzbekistan’s 2024 GDP from $115 billion to $121.4 billion. The shadow economy has fallen from 50 % in 2017 to 35 % in 2024, with plans to cover an additional 79 trillion soms to reduce it to 29 %.

President Mirziyoyev emphasized the growing role of e-commerce, IT services, remote services, and freelancing, noting expected growth rates of 9–11 % in these sectors, and stressed that national statistics must fully capture these emerging areas.

The meeting also addressed the transition from manual data collection for the Consumer Price Index to IT solutions and AI technologies, aiming to modernize national statistics to meet international standards. Deloitte has developed 23 initiatives and 70 projects to improve accuracy, efficiency, and transparency, while a National Statistical Development Strategy up to 2030 is being developed with the World Bank.

Preparations for the upcoming population census starting in January 2026 were reviewed. Organizational plans for 9,008 mahallas have been approved, with over 60,000 community representatives trained. The census will be conducted electronically via a specialized portal, with data collected on tablets and geolocation of households monitored through a GIS system.

President Mirziyoyev highlighted that accurate, timely, and reliable statistics are essential for state policy and the effective implementation of economic and social reforms. He instructed continued strategic transformation of the statistical system and ensured high organizational standards for the upcoming population and agricultural censuses.