Uzbekistan Cuts Poverty Rate to 3.6% as 824,000 Gain Permanent Jobs
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Nov 5
Uzbekistan Cuts Poverty Rate to 3.6% as 824,000 Gain Permanent Jobs
2 articles · Updated · Euronews · Nov 5
Summary
Uzbekistan reported its national poverty rate fell to 3.6% in the first nine months of 2026, down from the World Bank’s 5.8% estimate for 2025 and 17% in 2021.
3.7 million people moved above the national poverty line between 2021 and 2025, with the World Bank crediting job growth and wage gains as the main drivers of the drop.
Real wages for low-paid workers rose at least 11-12% a year after inflation, while employment among men in the poorest 20% climbed from 38% in 2022 to 65% in 2025.
824,000 people were placed in permanent jobs in the first nine months of 2026 and 980,000 informal workers were formalized, though the Bank said many poor workers still face informal or seasonal employment.
The World Bank said Uzbekistan’s middle class grew from 37% to more than 72% by 2025, but 22% of the population remained vulnerable to slipping back into poverty.