BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 20. The number of operating enterprises and organizations in Uzbekistan reached 601,276 as of August 1, 2026, reflecting continued expansion of the country's business base and a rebound in entrepreneurial activity after a decline in the number of operating businesses in previous years.
This was reflected in the statement by the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan.
The data were presented by Uzbekistan's National Statistics Committee. The number of operating enterprises and organizations has been rising through 2026, reaching 577,200 as of April 1 and 580,900 as of May 1, according to earlier committee data.
The largest number of operating entities was recorded in trade, with 164,481 enterprises, followed by agriculture, forestry and fisheries with 131,925, industry with 63,861 and construction with 33,463. Other major categories included services, accommodation and food services, information and communications, and health care and social services.
Trend's analysis shows that trade remains the largest area of business activity in Uzbekistan, accounting for roughly 27.4% of all operating enterprises and organizations as of August 1. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries represented about 22%, while industry accounted for around 10.6%. The concentration in these sectors reflects the continued importance of domestic commerce, agricultural activity and industrial production in the country's private-sector landscape.
Trend's calculations show that the number of operating enterprises and organizations increased from 556,010 in 2025 to 601,276 in 2026, an increase of approximately 45,300 entities, or 8.1%. This marks a notable improvement after the number of operating businesses fell sharply between 2022 and 2023 before beginning to recover.
The structure of Uzbekistan's business sector is also dominated by smaller companies. According to the committee's data, 440,949 entities were classified as small businesses, accounting for approximately 73.3% of the total number of operating enterprises and organizations. This confirms the central role of small businesses and microfirms in the country's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Earlier official data similarly showed small enterprises and microfirms accounting for 72.3% of operating enterprises as of April 2026.
Regional concentration remains significant. Tashkent city accounted for about 17.7% of all operating enterprises, followed by Samarkand region at 9.2%, Fergana region at 8.4% and Kashkadarya region at 7.7%. The capital therefore continues to have a substantial lead over individual regions, reflecting its role as Uzbekistan's main commercial, financial and services hub.
The increase in the number of operating businesses is occurring alongside a broadening of economic activity beyond traditional sectors. While trade and agriculture account for the largest numbers of enterprises, the presence of more than 63,000 industrial businesses and over 33,000 construction entities indicates a sizeable entrepreneurial base supporting Uzbekistan's industrialization and infrastructure expansion.
In Trend's assessment, the rise to more than 600,000 operating enterprises is a positive indicator for Uzbekistan's private-sector development. However, the continued concentration of businesses in Tashkent and several major regions suggests that further regional diversification could become an important part of the country's efforts to spread investment, employment and entrepreneurial activity more evenly across the economy.
