Uzbekistan bets on $300bn economy and $450bn investment surge
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan plans to build a $300bn economy by 2030 and attract $450bn of foreign investment over the next decade. The plan links the country’s growth aspirations with technology, industrial jobs and a foreign policy increasingly driven by trade.
The targets appeared in Mirziyoyev’s speech marking 35 years of Uzbek independence on Friday.
Three years ago, the government expected Uzbekistan’s economy to reach $160bn only by 2030. Mirziyoyev said that level would now be achieved in 2026, allowing the government to set a much higher target.
The president pledged to raise gross domestic product to $300bn by the end of the decade. This would mean an increase of almost 90% compared to the $160bn level cited for this year.
A new economic ceiling
The next phase of growth would be based on technology, artificial intelligence and start-ups and venture capital, Mirziyoyev said. He also called for more support to help small companies grow into medium-sized businesses and established firms develop into larger corporations.
Uzbekistan now takes $40bn-$50bn of foreign investment a year, the speech said, without specifying if the figure was invested money or approved projects or financing commitments.
Read more: Foreign investment in Uzbekistan rose to $4.4bn in 2025.
By comparison, the Central Bank’s balance-of-payments data recorded a net overseas capital inflow of $4.4bn in 2025. The two measurements are not directly comparable, but the difference indicates that future progress must be judged against clearly defined figures.
Trade becomes a diplomatic priority
Mirziyoyev said economic diplomacy will remain at the core of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy. Tashkent plans to deepen relations throughout Central Asia and expand commercial links with Europe, the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region and the Arab world.
The government also wants to build new partnerships in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The president noted that Uzbekistan now has diplomatic relations with about 170 countries.
Read more: Uzbekistan prepares to revise its foreign-policy priorities.
Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover was $41bn in the first half of 2026, up 7.4% from the same period a year earlier. Exports, excluding gold goods, rose 28.7%, but a 21% increase in imports widened the trade deficit.
Uzbekistan will also chair the Non-Aligned Movement in 2027–2029 for the first time. Mirziyoyev said the country would continue its engagement with Afghanistan and pursue a «balanced» approach between larger powers.
