Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth

Unlocking the Potential for Labor Productivity Growth
3.2. Economic Structure and Drivers of
Economic Growth
Since Uzbekistan’s independence, its economy has undergone industrial 
modernization and structural diversification. After plummeting to record lows 
subsequent to independence, since 2001 the country’s gross domestic product 
(GDP) per capita has recovered and it grew at an average rate of about 5% 
per year until 2017 (Figure 3.2). During this period, GDP per capita more than 
doubled. Growth was mainly driven by natural resource exports, strong global 
commodity prices, and substantial international remittances (IMF 2015). 
As a result, many Uzbek citizens have experienced improved living conditions, 
albeit unevenly across the country (Uzbekistan Statistics 2017). The share of 
the population living below the national poverty line was nearly halved, from 
27.5% in 2001 (UNDESA 2011) to 11.4% in 2018 (ADB 2019).
Uzbekistan’s 
more industrialized areas, including the Fergana Valley, Tashkent city, and 
Tashkent Region, saw the largest reductions in poverty rates. Improvements in 
health and education were closely linked to improvements in living conditions.
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For example, the mortality rate among children under 5 years old declined by 49.2% between 1991 and 2017, 
although it is still relatively high at 22.5 per 1,000 live births (World Bank. World Development Indicators. 
http://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/ accessed 7 August 2019). 
LHS = left-hand scale, RHS = right-hand scale.
Notes: (i) 1990–2010 population based on estimates, 2020–2050 based on medium variant projections; as 
of 1 July of the year; (ii) dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents—people younger than 15 or older than 
64—to the working age population—aged 15–64.
Source: UNDESA, Population Division (2019).
Figure 3.1: Population by Major Age Group and Dependency Ratio,