Uzbek Parliament Reviews Cabinet Report for First Half of 2026

The Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan's Oliy Majlis has reviewed the Cabinet of Ministers' report on the implementation of the "Uzbekistan – 2030" Strategy's State Program for the first half of 2026, a year designated as the "Year of Development of the Mahalla and Society as a Whole." Parliamentary reports indicate that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov presented the performance report, after which lawmakers formally adopted a decision on its filing.

During the initial six months of 2026, Uzbekistan experienced an 8.5 percent real gross domestic product growth, bringing the total GDP to 1,072.7 trillion soums. Growth rates across sectors included 8 percent in industry, 9.2 percent in services, 13.7 percent in construction, and 4.7 percent in agriculture. State budget expenditures amounted to 205.6 trillion soums, with 105.8 trillion soums allocated to social development initiatives.

Foreign investment utilization reached US$28.1 billion in the first half of 2026, representing a 34 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025. Of this total, foreign direct investments and loans constituted US$26 billion, while national exports reached US$15.9 billion.

Regarding social indicators, 506,000 citizens secured permanent employment during the reporting period, and the incomes of over 2.61 million individuals increased. Additionally, 546,000 informal workers had their employment formalized. Local authorities initiated 104,000 micro-projects within local neighborhoods (mahallas), creating employment for 246,000 people. Consequently, the national unemployment rate decreased from 4.8 percent at the beginning of the year to 4.5 percent. The overall poverty rate also dropped to 4.5 percent, with 2,756 mahallas achieving poverty-free status. Social assistance services were provided 300,000 times to 227,000 low-income families registered in the "Social Register."

Measures supporting entrepreneurship led to the establishment of approximately 37,800 new small business entities, and local branches of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry provided around 70,000 business support services. Following discussions, deputies called for rigorous oversight of outstanding tasks, systematic regional monitoring, and regular evaluations to assess the long-term impact of local job creation and micro-projects on household living standards.