Overview

Uzbekistan is the most populous of the Central Asian republics, with a population of 30.8 million people. Uzbekistan's population has a high youth dividend: the median age is around 27 years and over a quarter of the population is under 14.

Uzbekistan is 447,400 square kilometres (half the size of New South Wales), and shares borders with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Along with Liechtenstein, it is one of the world's only two doubly landlocked countries (all its neighbours are also landlocked). The landscape ranges from sandy desert with dunes to intensely irrigated river valleys along the course of the Amu Darya (Oxus), Syr and Zarafshon Rivers. High mountains surround the fertile Fergana Valley in the east. Tashkent is the capital and largest city, with a population of 2.57 million people.

The majority (an estimated 80 per cent) of Uzbekistan's population identify as ethnic Uzbeks. The rest of the populationcomprises ethnic minorities of Russians (5.5 per cent), Tajiks (5 per cent), and Kazakhs (3 per cent), among others. The state is secular, although, an estimated 88 per cent of the population nominally adheres to Islam, whileRussian Orthodoxy forms the largest of the minority religions (9 per cent). Historically, the city of Bukhara was once an important Jewish centre, but Judaism is now barely present in the country.

Uzbek, a Turkic language, is the country's sole official language and the first language of about three quarters of the population. Russian is designated as a language of inter-ethnic communication and is widely used in everyday technical, scientific, government and business life. It is the first language of about 14 per cent of the population. Tajik, a variant of Persian, is spoken by minorities in Bukhara and Samarkand.

Uzbekistan declared independence from the Soviet Union on 31 August 1991. It is a member of the United Nations (UN), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It maintains the largest armed forces of all the Central Asian republics.

Uzbekistan enjoys a rich cultural heritage and history. Uzbek tribes conquered much of the area of modern Uzbekistan during the sixteenth century and the country has played host to a number of ancient and medieval civilisations that have left their stamp on the country Alexander the Great entered Sogdiana and Bactria in 327 BC, and Tamerlane (Timur) ruled a vast empire from Samarkand in the late fourteenth century. .

Tashkent, the country's capital, is a modern city with a mix of mostly contemporary and Soviet-era architecture.

Political Overview

Uzbekistan is a presidential republic where power rests almost entirely with the President. The country's first President, Islam Karimov, led Uzbekistan for 25 years from independence until his death in 2016. President Karimov was succeeded by current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who had been Prime Minister from 2003 and had earlier served as governor of the Jizzakh and Samarkand regions.

The President is popularly elected for a five-year term. In the most recent presidential elections in October 2021, President Mirziyoyev won 80.1 per cent of the votes cast. The Prime Minister, nominated by parliament on the recommendation of the President, is Abdulla Aripov, who was appointed in 2016. Uzbekistan's constitution provides for a bicameral parliament called the Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis. The upper house is elected by regional councils and appointed by the President, while the lower house is popularly elected. The most recent parliamentary elections were held in two rounds in 2019 and 2020. Mirziyoyev's Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party (OʻzLiDeP) remained the largest party following these elections. There are no significant opposition parties or pressure groups operating in Uzbekistan.

Transparency International ranked Uzbekistan 140 out of 180 countries on its 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), categorising Uzbekistan as an authoritarian state where political opposition, activists and civil society figures faced 'persecution, interrogation and dismissals'. In March 2022, the Cotton Campaign ended its 11-year global boycott of Uzbek cotton after it found no systemic state-imposed forced and child labour in the 2021 harvest.

Economic Overview

According to the World Bank, since 1995 Uzbekistan's GDP has tripled and, as of 2020, its GDP per capita was USD$1,751. However, according to the Asian Development Bank, 11 per cent of Uzbekistan's population still lived below the poverty line in 2019.

Uzbekistan's economy is highly dependent on commodities exports and fluctuating world prices. Exports include gold, natural gas, petroleum, copper, zinc, cotton, textiles, fruit and vegetables. Agriculture accounts for about 28 per cent of Uzbekistan's GDP and employs a similar proportion of the labour force. Uzbekistan's major export markets are Russia (13.6 per cent), China (11.8 per cent) and Kazakhstan (8.1 per cent). Its major import sources are China (23.1 per cent), Russia (18.2 per cent) and the Republic of Korea (11.5 per cent). Remittances from Uzbek workers abroad contribute significantly to the economy.

Australia's Relationship with Uzbekistan

Australia and Uzbekistan enjoy a modest economic relationship, with potential for growth. Two-way goods and services trade with Uzbekistan in 2022-23 was worth $29.0 million, growing an average of 10.6 per cent a year over the previous five years. Australia's exports to Uzbekistan, worth $19.8 million, consisted of other services, education-related travel and mechanical equipment. Australia's imports from Uzbekistan, worth $9.1 million, consisted mostly of recreational travel, other services and computers.

The Australian Ambassador to Russia holds non-resident accreditation to Uzbekistan from Moscow. Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Australia holds non-resident accreditation from Singapore. Senior Officials Talks were held in 2017, 2015, 2012 and 2009, attended by Uzbek and Australian representatives in Canberra and Tashkent.

The Uzbek community in Australia is small. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that, as at 30 June 2023, 2,490 Australian residents were born in Uzbekistan. In 2023, 160 Uzbeks were enrolled for study in Australian educational institutions.