Uzbekistan may raise retirement age for men and women

A proposal to overhaul Uzbekistan’s pension system, put forward by the Finance Ministry, includes increasing the general retirement age by three years. The change would raise the threshold to 63 for men and 58 for women but is not yet final.

If approved, the proposal would represent a major shift from the position communicated by Uzbekistan’s Pension Fund last year, when officials stressed that no final decision had been made and that international recommendations were still being studied.

Under the proposal, Uzbekistan would start raising the retirement age from Jan. 1, 2028, by three months a year, to 63 for men and 58 for women by 2039, from 60 and 55 now. The minimum number of years of service for a pension would also increase gradually from seven years to 15 years by 2034.

The country has been developing a broader overhaul of the pension system, including changes to how pensions are calculated, funded and administered.

Read more: Uzbekistan has no plans to raise retirement age for now

Pension reform goes beyond the retirement threshold

The proposed increase is part of a wider effort to make the pension system financially more sustainable. Earlier reform proposals included strengthening funded pension savings and creating conditions for voluntary private pension funds.

Pensions are also being automated in Uzbekistan. Age-related pensions have been proactively assigned to eligible men and women since 2025, and the government is preparing to digitalise the system, including a service to estimate future pensions based on salary and employment records.

Current system distinguishes between full old age pension and age-related benefit for people with poor work history. Men can get an old-age pension at 60 and women at 55 with enough service. Others without enough service may receive an age-related benefit later.

The proposed thresholds of 63 and 58 are therefore not just a matter of changing a number on paper: they could determine when millions of working-age people qualify for the main state pension. But that reform is a proposal, not a change already in effect.

Read more: Uzbekistan digitises pension and treasury systems