Uzbekistan has secured the 86th position globally in the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom, compiled by The Heritage Foundation. The country scored 60.3 points, marking an improvement of 2.3 points compared to the previous year, and has entered the "moderately free" category for the first time. This score also surpasses the global average of 59.9 points, indicating progress in economic liberalization efforts.

Uzbekistan demonstrated its strongest performance in indicators related to economic openness. The Trade Freedom index reached 80.6 points, while the Investment Freedom index stood at 70.0 points, both significantly higher than global averages. These results reflect the effectiveness of the country's policies in fostering international trade and investment flows, contributing to its improved ranking.

The rise in the ranking is accompanied by improvements in key economic metrics. Foreign trade turnover increased from $63.5 billion in 2023 to $81.2 billion in 2025. Exports over the same period grew from $24.9 billion to $33.8 billion. The volume of foreign investments and loans in fixed capital more than doubled, reaching 422.1 trillion soums, underscoring growing investor confidence and economic diversification efforts.

Preliminary data for January-February 2026 also shows positive trends: foreign trade turnover amounted to $11.6 billion, a 7.1% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth further validates the sustained momentum in Uzbekistan's economic development, despite ongoing global challenges.

Source: kun.uz