1.4mn Uzbeks now work abroad as migration spreads beyond Russia
Around 1.4 million Uzbek nationals currently work across nearly 40 countries, according to Uzbekistan’s Migration Agency figures mentioned in a fresh Central Bank review. Russia still hosts by far the largest group, at 834,200 people, or roughly 60% of the total.
That leaves almost 560,000 Uzbek workers outside Russia. Europe accounts for 258,000, compared with 84,400 in Kazakhstan, 72,100 in Turkiye and 46,400 in South Korea. The continent now hosts more Uzbek workers than the three traditional destinations combined.
The Central Bank explicitly described the trend as a diversification of Uzbekistan’s labour-migration geography, adding that Uzbek workers were increasingly moving into European and other developed markets.
Remittances from the UK jumped 62% year on year in the first half of 2026, while transfers from EU countries rose 27% and those from the US increased by 19%. Total remittance inflows reached $9.3 billion, up 13% from a year earlier.
More than half of first-half remittances — $4.8 billion, or 51.7% — arrived directly on bank cards through P2P transfers, up 32%. Traditional money-transfer systems accounted for $4.3 billion, while SWIFT transfers fell to just $142 million.
Read more: EU sanctions money transfers out of Russia. Will Uzbeks feel the pinch?
Some of those markets face structural worker shortages. The report estimated that Europe could be short 7.5 million to 10.5 million workers by 2030, with demand particularly strong in engineering, construction, logistics, healthcare, IT, tourism and services. Germany alone may need at least 400,000 skilled migrants annually to prevent demographic decline from weighing on growth.
Uzbekistan’s new labour migration destinations
Uzbekistan now has 48 organised labour-migration agreements with 23 countries, including 18 agreements signed with 14 countries in 2025-26. The Migration Agency also works with more than 325 major employers and recruitment companies across 36 countries.
The US, Italy, Sweden, France and Slovenia have recently been added as new destinations, while Germany, the UK, Spain, Japan and several other countries are among the markets Uzbekistan considers promising. The targeted range of jobs included healthcare and logistics, as well as manufacturing, construction, welding, agriculture, mining, and oil and gas.
Read more: Russia records 15% drop in Central Asian migrant worker arrivals
Since the start of this year, 124,500 Uzbek citizens have been placed in higher-paying jobs abroad, according to the report.
From economics and politics to business, technology and culture, Kursiv Uzbekistan brings you key news and in-depth analysis from Uzbekistan and around the world. To stay up to date and get the latest stories in real time, follow our Telegram channel.
