Uzbekistan Plans to Increase Housing Construction to 280,000 Apartments per Year by 2040

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 3 February, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on new approaches to urban development and housing construction in Uzbekistan.

Over the past eight years, the country has built and commissioned approximately 120 million square meters of housing, accounting for more than 600,000 homes and apartments. To support citizens in acquiring housing, 541,000 people received concessional mortgages and subsidies totaling 103 trillion soums.

The construction boom has driven growth in the building materials sector, making it a key driver of regional development. Urbanization in Uzbekistan has increased from 40.3% in 1991 to 51% today.

Despite these achievements, the President noted that current results remain insufficient. Around 200,000 new families are formed annually, increasing demand for housing, roads, and social infrastructure. At present, average living space per resident is 18.9 square meters. To reach at least 23 square meters per person by 2040, housing construction needs to increase to 280,000 apartments annually.

A new urban development management system has been established, including a dedicated committee tasked with gradually increasing housing construction. Planned construction targets are 140,000 apartments in 2026, 150,000 in 2027, and 160,000 in 2028.

President Mirziyoyev emphasized that well-organized urbanization is critical for business and startup development, industrial and IT cluster formation, and productivity growth. Special attention was given to rational land use, as unregulated expansion of settlements could reduce agricultural land availability in the long term.

Plans include modernizing the outdated housing stock and increasing renovation from 15% to 60% by 2040, as well as expanding the “New Uzbekistan” housing complexes to 120 projects.

Currently, obtaining construction permits involves nine steps and takes 90–120 days on average. By contrast, international practices with “ready-to-build land” procedures complete the process in 7–15 days. Uzbekistan plans to adopt a similar system, where all preparatory steps and permits are finalized before land is auctioned, and auctioned plots must be fully ready for construction.

The presentation also highlighted the need to improve project documentation quality. It proposed upgrading project organizations, including ToshboshplanLITI, UzshaharsosLITI, UzGASHKLITI, and Qishloq qurilish loyiha, by involving highly qualified foreign specialists and implementing modern management systems.

To enhance urban planning and housing construction, the development of the digital platform “Uy-joy” was suggested, integrating a unified database of master plans, a ready-to-build land bank, a GIS of apartment buildings, an escrow mechanism, a developer rating system, and other digital tools.

The President approved the proposals and instructed relevant authorities to implement systematic, phased, and long-term measures in urbanization and housing construction, ensuring strict compliance with the established targets.