The National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan has released new data on enterprises with foreign investment, showing that China, Russia and Turkey remain the leading contributors to the country’s business landscape.
As of September 1, 2025, Uzbekistan was home to 16,946 active enterprises with foreign investment, of which 4,144 were joint ventures and 12,802 were fully foreign-owned. Compared to the same period in 2024, the number of such enterprises grew by 2,384, driven mainly by expansion in trade, industry and construction.
China in first place
China continues to play the dominant role, accounting for 4,420 enterprises or 26.1% of the total. This includes 681 joint ventures and 3,739 fully Chinese-owned businesses.
The Russian Federation is the second-largest investor, with 3,141 enterprises (18.5%), including 901 joint ventures. Turkey ranks third with 2,025 enterprises (11.9%), of which 483 are joint ventures.
Kazakhstan accounts for 1,151 enterprises (6.8%), South Korea 628 (4.0%) and Afghanistan 682 (3.7%). Other active partners include the UAE with 377 enterprises, Tajikistan with 365, India with 341, the United States with 340 and Azerbaijan with 321.
European countries also feature in the list: the United Kingdom has 241 enterprises, Germany 225 and Belarus 234. Japan contributes with 108 enterprises.
Rapid growth in recent years
Over the past five years, the total number of foreign-invested enterprises in Uzbekistan has increased 1.3 times. The share of wholly foreign-owned businesses has grown significantly, rising from 53.4% in 2020 to 75.5% in 2025.
Officials note that the growth reflects reforms to liberalise the economy, simplify licensing procedures and create favourable conditions for international investors across the regions.
Kursiv also reports that Uzbekistan directed 273.4 trln soums ($22.12 bn) into fixed capital investment during January to June 2025.
