World Bank says Uzbekistan middle class share reached 72% by 2025

September 29, 2026 at 08:05 PM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The share of Uzbekistan's population classified as middle class rose from 37% in 2021 to over 72% in 2025, according to World Bank analysis. In Tashkent, 71.5% of residents fell into the upper middle class category. The growth was driven by rising private-sector wages, with the capital hosting 29% of the country's high-skilled formal private-sector jobs.

Key Facts

The middle class share in Uzbekistan grew from 37% in 2021 to over 72% in 2025.
In Tashkent, 71.5% of residents were classified as upper middle class.
The upper middle class share nationwide increased from 8% to 31% between 2021 and 2025.
The lower middle class share rose from 29% to 41% over the same period.
Tashkent accounts for 29% of all high-skilled formal private-sector jobs in Uzbekistan.

Middle Class Expansion

The World Bank reported that the share of Uzbekistan's population classified as middle class rose from 37% in 2021 to over 72% in 2025. The upper middle class segment grew from 8% to 31% of the population during the same period. The lower middle class increased from 29% to 41%.

Tashkent's Upper Middle Class

In Tashkent, the share of residents in the upper middle class reached 71.5%. The capital's growth in middle class indicators was significantly higher than in other regions of Uzbekistan. Tashkent hosts 29% of all formal private-sector jobs in the country that require high qualifications.

Drivers of Growth

Experts cited rising wages in the private sector as one of the main factors behind the middle class expansion. The concentration of high-skilled private-sector employment in Tashkent contributed to the capital's faster growth.