Record Number of Citizens Register as Self-Employed in January
The number of self-employed individuals in Uzbekistan has seen a significant increase in the beginning of 2025, with over 142,000 new individuals joining the ranks, bringing the total to 4.61 million by February 1. Among the new entrants, more than 43,000 have registered as taxi drivers.
The distribution of self-employed individuals across different regions shows that Samarkand region continues to lead with 526,000 self-employed people, followed by Tashkent region with 456.3 thousand and Kashkadarya region with 453.9 thousand. Tashkent city is in seventh place with 405.5 thousand self-employed individuals.
The majority of self-employed individuals are involved in the personal services sector, totaling 1.97 million people, which represents a 95.7% increase from January 2024. The agriculture sector comes next with 1.15 million self-employed individuals (a 57.5% increase), followed by social work with 503.6 thousand individuals (a 54.4% increase).
In terms of private passenger transportation, more than 736,000 individuals are engaged in this sector, with an additional 43.2 thousand registering last month.
The industrial sector has also seen a significant increase in self-employed individuals, reaching 432.3 thousand, a 49.2% year-on-year increase. The production of consumer goods and service provision involves 430.2 thousand self-employed individuals (a 94.1% increase), while the IT sector accounts for 122.1 thousand people (an 82.5% increase). Among the self-employed population, women make up 42% while men make up 58%.
Since September 1, 2022, self-employed individuals have been allowed to transport passengers after registering with the necessary authorities and obtaining a permit. Private taxi drivers are exempt from paying taxes, but they can choose to pay a social tax to qualify for pension benefits.
In November 2023, the list of self-employment activities was expanded to include occupations such as tailoring, atlas fabric production, beadwork, toy making, and more.
During a recent meeting, the president instructed that self-employed individuals be permitted to work as taxi drivers on a permanent basis, following the end of a temporary regulation in late 2024. This move is expected to further boost the number of self-employed individuals in Uzbekistan and provide more opportunities for economic growth.
