Uzbekistan advances in five global rankings in 1H26

Uzbekistan has seen its standing improve in five significant international rankings and indices during the first half of 2026. The nation moved up 14 spots in the Index of Economic Freedom and 43 places in the Women, Business and the Law index. Additionally, it received sovereign credit rating upgrades from Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings, and Moody's Ratings, as announced by officials at a meeting of the Republican Council on Working with International Ratings and Indices.

The latest gathering of the Republican Council on Working with International Ratings and Indices, presided over by Senate Chairperson Tanzila Narbayeva, assessed Uzbekistan's progress in global rankings and outlined key objectives for further enhancing the country's international reputation.

The council highlighted that international credit rating agencies had upgraded Uzbekistan's sovereign assessment over the year. Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings shifted the country's sovereign credit outlook from "stable" to "positive." Meanwhile, Moody's Ratings elevated Uzbekistan's sovereign rating from Ba3 with a positive outlook to Ba2 with a stable outlook.

Uzbekistan also advanced 14 positions in the Index of Economic Freedom, reaching 86th out of 184 countries with a score of 60.3. This marks its first entry into the "moderately free" category, having previously been classified as "mostly unfree."

In the Women, Business and the Law index, the country ascended 43 places to 48th out of 190 economies. Officials noted that Uzbekistan was recognized for implementing substantial legal reforms to bolster women's economic participation, ranking among the top five reformers globally in this area.

The council further recommended expanding the list of priority international rankings to encompass artificial intelligence readiness and environmental performance. According to the meeting, Uzbekistan has improved by 33 positions in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index since 2020, achieving a rank of 62nd in 2025, up from 95th in 2020, making it the highest-ranked country in the CIS.

Concurrently, officials acknowledged the necessity of strengthening environmental performance. Uzbekistan was ranked 121st out of 177 countries in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index, a decline from its 107th position in the previous edition.

The council also reviewed the execution of Uzbekistan's 2026 action plan, which aims to improve the country's standing in priority international rankings, and directed relevant authorities to prepare additional measures to further enhance its global performance.