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Central Asia

Uzbekistan

Central Asia, north of Turkmenistan, south of Kazakhstan.

Muslim population88%of the population
Population39.0 millionpeople (current)
CapitalTashkentUTC+5
Currency12,652 = $1Uzbekistani soum (UZS) (2024)

Country basics

Uzbekistan is a landlocked Central Asian republic bordered only by other landlocked countries.

Uzbekistan is a republic with Tashkent as its capital and Uzbek as its official language, and Samarkand and Bukhara lie on the old Silk Road. The som is the currency, and gold, natural gas, cotton and copper lead its export earnings.

Official name
Republic of Uzbekistan
Region
Asia · Central Asia
Government
Unitary semi-presidential republic
Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city
UTC+05:00
Driving side
Right
Phone code
+998
Currency
Uzbekistani soʻm (UZS, so'm)
Member of
UN
Website
https://www.gov.uz

Faith and language

Religions
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
Languages
Russian; Uzbek

People and cities

Population
39.0 million (current)
Median ageHalf the population is younger than this
29.2 years (2025)
Living in cities
50.5% (2023)
Largest cities
Tashkent (capital) 2.603 million

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget
12,652 Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar (2024)
Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)
$10,500 (2024)
InflationHow much prices rose over the year
9.6% (2024)
Unemployment
4.5% (2024)
Spent on foodShare of an average household’s spending
46.3% (2023)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy
76.2 years (2024)
Doctors
2.81 per 1,000 people (2021)
Hospital beds
4.9 per 1,000 people (2021)
Safe drinking water
96.6% of people (2022)
Electricity
100% of people (2022)
Internet users
89% of people (2023)
Literacy
100% of adults (2022)

Land and climate

Climate
Mostly mid-latitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
SizeAbout four times the size of Virginia; slightly larger than California
447,400 sq km
Natural hazards
Earthquakes; floods; landslides or mudslides; avalanches; droughts
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 September (1991)