Uzbekistan trade turnover rises to US$18 billion in Q1

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover amounted to US$18.0 billion in January–March 2026, increasing by US$471.0 million, or 2.7%, compared with the same period last year, according to data from the National Statistics Committee.

The trade structure showed a significant imbalance in favour of imports. Exports for the reporting period totalled US$5.8 billion, decreasing by 29.3% year-on-year, while imports reached US$12.2 billion, rising by 30.8%. The negative trade balance stood at US$6.4 billion.

However, the sharp decline in exports was largely driven by dynamics in special exports. Excluding this category, goods exports showed steady growth: standard merchandise exports amounted to US$3.5 billion, increasing by 26.2% compared with the first quarter of 2025.

Uzbekistan maintained trade relations with more than 170 countries. The largest shares of total trade turnover were held by China (25.6%), Russia (18.2%), Kazakhstan (7.2%), Türkiye (3.6%), and Afghanistan (2.8%).

In export geography, Russia was the largest buyer of Uzbek goods and services with a 18.1% share, followed by China (11.0%), Afghanistan (7.6%), France (7.0%), Kazakhstan (4.9%), Türkiye (4.0%), the United Arab Emirates (3.0%), Kyrgyzstan (2.9%), and Tajikistan (2.4%). These nine countries together accounted for more than 60% of Uzbekistan’s total exports.

In terms of export structure, goods accounted for 59.9% of total exports. Industrial products made up 17.8%, chemical products 10.6%, food products and live animals 9.2%, and miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.2%.

Textiles showed notable growth. In the first quarter of 2026, textile exports amounted to US$739.9 million, or 12.7% of total exports, increasing by 17.6% year-on-year. Finished textile goods accounted for 51.7% of textile exports, while yarn made up 31.4%.

Exports of fruits and vegetables also continued to grow. A total of 339,900 tonnes were exported in January–March, an increase of 10%, or 30,900 tonnes, compared with the previous year. In value terms, exports reached US$317.7 million, up 12.4%, representing 5.5% of total exports.

Services exports accounted for 40.1% of total exports, reaching US$2.3 billion, up 26.8%. Tourism formed 48.0% of services exports, transport 35.5%, telecommunications, computer and information services 10.3%, and other business services 2.1%.

Goods imports for the quarter reached nearly US$11 billion, increasing by US$2.7 billion year-on-year. The main import categories were machinery and transport equipment (33.8%), manufactured goods (13.9%), and chemicals (12.0%). Imports came from more than 140 countries, with China accounting for 32.5% of total imports, followed by Russia (18.3%), Kazakhstan (8.4%), South Korea (3.7%), Türkiye (3.5%), Turkmenistan (2.6%), and the UAE (2.3%). These seven countries together accounted for more than 70% of imports.

Imports of services totalled US$1.2 billion, or 10% of total imports, increasing by 17.9%. Tourism made up 49.8% of imported services, transport 19.8%, telecommunications and information services 12.4%, and other business services 8.3%.