Uzbekistan Parliament Approves 2025 State Budget Report

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan’s Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis has approved a report on the execution of the state budget and state trust fund budgets for 2025 during a plenary session, where Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov presented the findings.

According to the report, Uzbekistan’s gross domestic product grew by 7.7% in 2025 compared to the previous year. The services sector expanded by 14.7%, construction grew by 14.2%, and industrial output increased by 6.8%. Annual inflation stood at 7.3%, while foreign trade turnover reached US$81.2 billion. Investments in fixed capital totaled 591.1 trillion soums, marking a 10.5% increase compared to 2024. Kuchkarov said that despite rising geopolitical tensions and global economic uncertainty, the country maintained stable growth rates.

State budget revenues amounted to 116.6% of the 2024 level, while expenditures were executed at 99.3%. A total of 180.4 trillion soums was allocated to the social sector, accounting for 47% of overall budget spending. Of this amount, 86.5% was directed toward social support programs and housing assistance initiatives. Salaries, pensions, scholarships, and social benefits were paid on time and indexed at no less than the inflation rate.

Significant attention was given to spending on education and healthcare. In 2025, 84.2 trillion soums were allocated to education, an increase of 12.9 trillion soums compared to the previous year. Public-private partnership-based preschools received subsidies totaling about 4 trillion soums. As a result, the number of non-state preschool institutions reached 32,000, with coverage exceeding one million children.

Healthcare funding reached 43.3 trillion soums, up by 7.2 trillion soums year-on-year. Expenditures for medical institutions included in the state health insurance system amounted to 21.6 trillion soums. A total of 14.5 trillion soums was allocated to child benefits, financial assistance, and compensation for low-income families.

About 45.5 trillion soums, or 11.9% of total budget expenditures, was directed toward poverty reduction and improving living standards. Lawmakers noted that this aligns with Uzbekistan’s constitutional status as a social state.

At the same time, deputies highlighted shortcomings in budget execution. Several ministries — including higher education, sports, construction and housing, investment and trade, and energy — were criticized for failing to fully utilize allocated funds despite sufficient financing. Cases of misuse and improper allocation of budget resources were also reported.

Internal audit services prevented inefficient and inappropriate spending worth 827.3 billion soums during the reporting period. However, lawmakers said internal controls remain insufficient and called for improved audit quality and accelerated digitalization of financial processes to prevent misuse of public funds. They also proposed increasing transparency in extrabudgetary funds and expanding the state revenue base.