Map of Uzbekistan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Russia conquered the territory of present-day Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after the Bolshevik Revolution was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic established in 1924. During the Soviet era intensive production of 'white gold' (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies which have left the land degraded and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991 the country has lessened its dependence on the cotton monoculture by diversifying agricultural production while developing its mineral and petroleum export capacity and increasing its manufacturing base. However long-serving septuagenarian President Islom KARIMOV who rose through the ranks of the Soviet-era State Planning Committee (Gosplan) remains wedded to the concepts of a command economy creating a challenging environment for foreign investment. Current concerns include post-KARIMOV succession terrorism by Islamic militants economic stagnation and the curtailment of human rights and democratization.


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Location: Central Asia north of Turkmenistan south of Kazakhstan

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N 64 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 447,400 km²
Land: 425,400 km²
Water: 22,000 km²
Rank: 57
Comparative: about four times the size of Virginia; slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 6,893 km
Border countries: (5) Afghanistan 144 km; Kazakhstan 2,330 km; Kyrgyzstan 1314 km; Tajikistan 1312 km; Turkmenistan 1793 km

Coastline: 0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline

Maritime claims: none (doubly landlocked)

Climate: mostly mid-latitude desert long hot summers mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

Terrain: mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Sariqamish Kuli -12 m
Extremes highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m

Natural resources: natural gas petroleum coal gold uranium silver copper lead and zinc tungsten molybdenum

Land use
Agricultural land: 62.6%
Forest: 7.7%
Other: 29.7%

Irrigated land: 41,980 km² (2005)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 48.87 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: along with Liechtenstein one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world


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Population: 29,199,942 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 45
Growth rate: 0.93% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 123
Below poverty line: 17% (2011 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Uzbekistani
Adjective: Uzbekistani

Ethnic groups: Uzbek 80% Russian 5.5% Tajik 5% Kazakh 3% Karakalpak 2.5% Tatar 1.5% other 2.5% (1996 est.)

Languages: Uzbek (official) 74.3% Russian 14.2% Tajik 4.4% other 7.1%
Note: in the Karakalpakstan Republic both the Karakalpak language and Uzbek have official status

Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni) Eastern Orthodox 9% other 3%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.56%
15-24 years: 19.92%
25-54 years: 43.46%
55-64 years: 7.17%
65 years and over: 4.9% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 49.7%
Youth dependency ratio: 42.7%
Elderly dependency ratio: 7%
Potential support ratio: 14.3%

Median age
Total: 27.6 years
Male: 27.1 years
Female: 28.2 years

Population growth rate: 0.93% (2015 est.)
Rank: 123

Birth rate: 17 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 108

Death rate: 5.3 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 180

Net migration rate: -2.37 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 173

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 36.4% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: TASHKENT (capital) 2.251 million (2015)

Environment
Current issues: shrinkage of the Aral Sea has resulted in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification and respiratory health problems; water pollution from industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause of many human health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil contamination from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals including DDT
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male/female
55-64 years: 0.9 male/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 19.2 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 22.78 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.4 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 91

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.55 years
Male: 70.5 years
Female: 76.78 years
Rank: 128

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 153

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 64.9% (2006)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 2.53 physicians/1000 population (2013)

Hospital bed density: 4.4 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (2014 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 104
People living with hivaids: 32,300 (2014 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 68
Deaths: 2,200 (2014 est.)
Deaths rank: 55

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 14.3% (2014)
Rank: 119

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 4.4% (2006)
Rank: 97

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.6%
Male: 99.7%
Female: 99.5%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 12 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 11 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan
Conventional short form: Uzbekistan
Local long form: O'zbekiston Respublikasi
Local short form: O'zbekiston
Former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type: republic; authoritarian presidential rule with little power outside the executive branch

Capital
Name: Tashkent
Geographic coordinates: 41 19 N 69 15 E
Time difference: UTC+5

Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (viloyatlar singular - viloyat) 1 autonomous republic* (avtonom respublikasi) and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati Buxoro Viloyati Farg'ona Viloyati Jizzax Viloyati Namangan Viloyati Navoiy Viloyati Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi) Qoraqalpog'iston Respublikasi [Karakalpakstan Republic]* (Nukus) Samarqand Viloyati Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston) Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz) Toshkent Shahri [Tashkent City]** Toshkent Viloyati [Tashkent province] Xorazm Viloyati (Urganch)
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 1 September (1991)

Constitution: several previous; latest adopted 8 December 1992; amended several times last in 2014 (2014)

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV
Head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV ; First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam AZIMOV (since 2 January 2008)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of both chambers of the Supreme Assembly
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; election last held on 29 March 2015 (next to be held in 2020); prime minister ministers and deputy ministers appointed by the president
Election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 90.4% Akmal SAIDOV (Democratic Party of Uzbekistan) 3.1% Khatamjan KETMANOV (NDP) 2.9% Nariman UMAROV (Justice Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan) 2.1% other 1.5%

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of the Senate and the Legislative Chamber or Qonunchilik Palatasi (150 seats; 135 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed and 15 indirectly elected by the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan; members serve 5-year terms)
Note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President Islom KARIMOV
Elections: last held on 21 December 2014 and 4 January 2015
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDPU 52 National Rebirth Party 36 NDP 27 Adolat 20 Ecological Movement 15

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court ; Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges); Higher Economic Court (consists of 19 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: judges of the 3 highest courts nominated by the president and confirmed by the Oliy Majlis; judges appointed for 5-year terms subject to reappointment
Subordinate courts: regional district city and town courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB CICA CIS CSTO EAPC EBRD ECO FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC ISO ITSO ITU MIGA NAM OIC OPCW OSCE PFP SCO UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Baxtiyor GULOMOV
In the us chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] 283-6,803
In the us FAX: [1] 293-6,804
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela SPRATLEN
From the us embassy: 3 Moyqo'rq'on 5th Block Yunusobod District Tashkent 100,093
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [998] 120-5,450
From the us FAX: [998] 120-6,335

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top) white and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon (closed side to the hoist) and 12 white stars shifted to the hoist on the top band; blue is the color of the Turkic peoples and of the sky white signifies peace and the striving for purity in thoughts and deeds while green represents nature and is the color of Islam; the red stripes are the vital force of all living organisms that links good and pure ideas with the eternal sky and with deeds on earth; the crescent represents Islam and the 12 stars the months and constellations of the Uzbek calendar

National symbols: khumo (mythical bird); national colors: blue white red green

National anthem
Name: 'O'zbekiston Respublikasining Davlat Madhiyasi'
Lyrics and music: Abdulla ARIPOV/Mutal BURHANOV
Note: adopted 1992; after the fall of the Soviet Union Uzbekistan kept the music of the anthem from its time as a Soviet Republic but adopted new lyrics

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 67

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 20

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 162

Gross national saving:
Rank: 27

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 55.6%
Government consumption: 22.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 24.4%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 26.9%
Imports of goods and services: -29.6%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 18.5%
Industry: 32%
Services: 49.5%

Agriculture products: cotton vegetables fruits grain; livestock

Industries: textiles food processing machine building metallurgy mining hydrocarbon extraction chemicals

Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (2014 est.)
Rank: 36

Labor force: 17.24 million (2014 est.)
Rank: 37
By occupation agriculture: 25.9%
By occupation industry: 13.2%
By occupation services: 60.9%

Unemployment rate:
Note: official data another 20% are underemployed
Rank: 47

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 17% (2011 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.8%
Highest 10: 29.6%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 80

Budget
Revenues: $18.67 billion
Expenditures: $19.27 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 58

Taxes and other revenues: 29.6% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 92

Public debt:
Rank: 157

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Note: official data; based on independent analysis of consumer prices inflation reached 22% in 2012
Rank: 206

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 65

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 87

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 93

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 100

Market value of publicly traded shares:

Current account balance:
Rank: 45

Exports:
Rank: 86
Commodities: energy products cotton gold mineral fertilizers ferrous and nonferrous metals textiles foodstuffs machinery automobiles
Partners: China 26.8% Russia 14.7% Kazakhstan 14.6% Turkey 13.1% Bangladesh 10.2% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 92
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs chemicals ferrous and nonferrous metals
Partners: Russia 22.8% China 19.6% South Korea 14.9% Kazakhstan 10.2% Germany 4.8% Turkey 4.4% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 63

Debt external:
Rank: 107

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $N/A

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 52.53 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 51
Consumption: 45.07 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 51
Exports: 12.25 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 17
Imports: 12.16 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 15
Installed generating capacity: 12.35 million kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 52
Generation sources fossil fuels: 86% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 86
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 198
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 14% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 105
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 135

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 100,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 46
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 200
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 136
Crude oil proven reserves: 594 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 49

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 92,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 75
Products consumption: 105,600 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 75
Products exports: 4,968 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 90
Products imports: 655.9 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 200

Natural gas
Production: 62.9 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 14
Consumption: 52.7 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 17
Exports: 10.2 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 19
Imports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 144
Proven reserves: 1.841 trillion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 20

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 123.2 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 39

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2.51 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9
Fixed lines rank: 53
Mobile cellular total: 21.6 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 75
Mobile cellular rank: 56

Telephone system
General assessment: digital exchanges in large cities and in rural areas
Domestic: the state-owned telecommunications company Uzbektelecom owner of the fixed-line telecommunications system has used loans from the Japanese government and the China Development Bank to upgrade fixed-line services including conversion to digital exchanges; mobile-cellular services are provided by 3 private and 1 state-owned operator with a total subscriber base of 19 million as of January 2014
International: country code - 998; linked by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; the country also has a link to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable; Uzbekistan has supported the national fiber optic backbone project of Afghanistan since 2008 (2009)

Broadcast media: government controls media; 14 state-owned broadcasters - 10 TV and 4 radio - provide service to virtually the entire country; about 20 privately owned TV stations overseen by local officials broadcast to local markets; privately owned TV stations are required to lease transmitters from the government-owned Republic TV and Radio Industry Corporation; in 2013 the government closed TV and radio broadcasters affiliated with the National Association of Electronic Mass Media of Uzbekistan a government-sponsored NGO for private broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .uz
Users total: 11.8 million
Users percent of population: 40.6%
Users rank: 41

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 1-month or 1-year conscript service obligation for males; moving toward a professional military but conscription in some form will continue; the military cannot accommodate everyone who wishes to enlist and competition for entrance into the military is similar to the competition for admission to universities (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 53 (2013)
Rank: 89
With paved runways total: 33
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 13
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 4
With unpaved runways total: 20
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways: 18 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 10,401 km; oil 944 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 3,645 km
Broad gauge: 3,645 km 1.520-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 40

Roadways
Total: 86,496 km
Paved: 75,511 km
Unpaved: 10,985 km
Rank: 52

Waterways: 1100 km (2012)
Rank: 62

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
River port: Termiz


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Disputes international: prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan created water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2004; border delimitation of 130 km of border with Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 86,703

Illicit drugs: transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and to a lesser extent Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for domestic consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by government crop eradication program; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan