BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 30. Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover more than tripled over the past decade, rising from $25.8 billion in 2016 to $81.2 billion in 2025.
This was reflected in the infographic released by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Economy and Finance.
According to the ministry, this figure represents an increase of $55.4 billion, or approximately 215%, meaning that the volume of foreign trade for this period increased 3.15-fold. The growth reflects Uzbekistan’s deeper integration into global markets, broader trade ties, and expanding participation in international supply chains.
Exports reached $33.8 billion in 2025, up 2.5 times from 2016. This implies an increase of roughly $20.3 billion, or about 150%, over the decade. The number of export markets also expanded substantially, from 79 countries in 2016 to 132 in 2025, an increase of 53 markets, or about 67%.
Imports grew even faster, reaching $47.4 billion in 2025, nearly 3.9 times the 2016 level. Based on the reported multiple, imports increased from roughly $12.2 billion to $47.4 billion, representing an estimated gain of $35.3 billion, or about 291%. Uzbekistan imported goods from 158 countries in 2025, compared with 127 countries in 2016.
The composition of trade also changed. Exports accounted for 41.7% of foreign trade turnover in 2025, down from 52.9% in 2016, while the import share increased from 47.1% to 58.3%. The shift points to the faster expansion of imports, consistent with the country’s investment and industrial modernization drive. Uzbekistan’s machinery and transport equipment imports, for example, have been a major feature of its broader modernization process.
The figures show that Uzbekistan’s opening to international trade has produced a much larger external trade base, but they also highlight a continuing challenge: imports are growing faster than exports. In 2025, the gap between imports and exports stood at $13.6 billion, meaning export revenues covered about 71.3% of import spending. Strengthening higher-value exports and reducing the structural trade deficit will therefore remain important as Uzbekistan seeks to turn expanding global integration into sustained economic gains.
Trend's analysis indicates that Uzbekistan’s foreign trade has undergone a clear expansion and diversification trend over the past decade. Foreign trade turnover rose from $25.8 billion in 2016 to $81.2 billion in 2025, while exports increased from their 2016 level by 2.5 times to $33.8 billion and imports grew 3.9 times to $47.4 billion. The number of export markets also expanded from 79 to 132 countries, while import sources increased from 127 to 158. At the same time, the trade structure shifted toward imports: their share of total turnover climbed to 58.3% in 2025, from 47.1% in 2016, while exports fell to 41.7% from 52.9%.
Meanwhile, Trend's assessment shows that the figures indicate that Uzbekistan’s opening of the economy has significantly expanded its participation in international trade, but the faster growth of imports presents a key structural challenge. Rising imports can reflect stronger domestic demand, investment, and purchases of machinery and industrial inputs needed to expand production. However, the widening gap with exports means that stronger export capacity will be increasingly important. The expansion of export destinations is a positive sign, as it reduces dependence on a limited number of markets and provides greater opportunities for Uzbek producers to enter new markets. The next stage of trade development will therefore depend not only on increasing volumes, but also on expanding higher-value exports and improving the competitiveness of domestic industries.
Trend's calculations show that the increase in trade turnover from $25.8 billion to $81.2 billion represents a gain of $55.4 billion, or about 215%, with the total volume becoming approximately 3.15 times larger. Exports rose by roughly 150%, while imports increased by about 290%, showing that imports expanded nearly twice as fast as exports over the period. In 2025, the difference between imports and exports was $13.6 billion, with exports covering about 71.3% of imports. The number of export destinations increased by 53 countries, or 67.1%, indicating that the expansion of trade has been accompanied by a broader geographic reach.
