Uzbekistan SEZ output rises 31% in Q1 2026

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Special economic zones (SEZs) in Uzbekistan increased industrial production by 31.4% in the first quarter of 2026, according to the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Total output in SEZs reached 14,000.6 billion soums, compared with 10,652.9 billion soums in the same period of the previous year, indicating sustained expansion of industrial activity within the country’s preferential production zones.

According to the statistical authority, as of 1 April 2026, Uzbekistan has 33 special economic zones, 396 small industrial zones, 27 technoparks, 349 clusters, and 143 youth industrial and entrepreneurship zones operating with active enterprises.

Altogether, these structures host more than 9,400 enterprises: 1,116 in SEZs, 3,098 in small industrial zones, 3,680 in technoparks, 383 in clusters, and 1,157 in youth zones.

Technoparks account for the largest number of participating enterprises, reflecting the state’s priority in developing high-tech entrepreneurship.

In terms of output by type of economic zone in January–March 2026, SEZs remain the leading segment with 14,000.6 billion soums. Clusters ranked second with 9,679.8 billion soums, slightly below the 9,960.7 billion soums recorded a year earlier.

Small industrial zones produced goods worth 5,204.0 billion soums, up more than 54% compared with 3,367.3 billion soums in the first quarter of 2025.

Technoparks also showed strong growth, with output rising from 363.4 billion soums to 779.6 billion soums, more than doubling year-on-year. Youth industrial and entrepreneurship zones, as the newest segment, recorded output of 240.6 billion soums.

Investment activity across the zones shows significant variation. The largest share of capital investment is concentrated in SEZs at 2,645.5 billion soums, while technoparks and clusters attracted 545.9 billion and 531.4 billion soums respectively.

Small industrial zones received 180.4 billion soums in investments, while youth zones attracted just 1.3 billion soums, reflecting their early stage of development.

The largest volume of construction work carried out by enterprises was recorded in small industrial zones at 248.0 billion soums, indicating active expansion of production infrastructure in this segment.

Employment across economic zones reached significant levels. As of the end of Q1 2026, the number of employees stood at 55,869 in SEZs, 55,335 in technoparks, 52,152 in clusters, 41,527 in small industrial zones, and 5,766 in youth zones. Total job creation in technoparks reached 58,067, the highest among all categories.

Special attention is given to the IT Park, which is part of the technopark system. In January–March 2026, IT Park residents exported services worth 191.8 million US dollars, up by 38.5 million dollars compared with 153.3 million dollars in the same period of 2025.

Market services provided by IT Park residents reached 9,401.7 billion soums, compared with 6,626.5 billion soums a year earlier, an increase of more than 2,775 billion soums.

Investment in fixed capital among IT Park participants grew sharply from 151.6 billion to 500.5 billion soums, more than tripling year-on-year.

The number of jobs in IT Park increased from 37,274 to 46,172. Imports of services by IT Park participants amounted to 92.2 million US dollars, compared with 47.4 million US dollars in Q1 2025.

The industrial structure of SEZ output shows that the automotive industry remains the main driver, accounting for 28.8% of total production in motor vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers. Metallurgy ranks second with 18.4%, followed by food production at 9.3%.

Other segments include non-metallic mineral products (8.1%), rubber and plastic products (6.9%), and textile and chemical industries at 5.7% each. Other activities collectively account for 17.1%.

In small industrial zones, the sectoral structure is different. Textile production leads with 16.1%, followed by coke and petroleum products (14.5%), metallurgy (10.1%), garment production (9.9%), and food production (8.2%).

Other significant sectors include waste management services (8.3%) and production of computer, electronic, and optical products (6.1%). Remaining activities account for 26.8% of total output.