Unemployment in Uzbekistan fell to 5.1% in the second quarter of 2025, down from 5.5% in the same period last year, according to official data.
For comparison, the European Union’s average unemployment rate reached 6% in the same quarter. While unemployment rose in many EU countries, Uzbekistan saw a decline.
Among CIS countries, Armenia had the highest unemployment at 14%, followed by Azerbaijan at 5.3%.
Uzbekistan ranked third, with Kazakhstan at 4.6% and Russia recording the lowest rate at 2.2%.
In 2024, Uzbekistan had 836,400 officially registered unemployed people, compared with 1.9mn in Russia. Kyrgyzstan had the smallest number of registered unemployed at 104,700.
The data confirms that Uzbekistan currently ranks third among CIS countries in terms of unemployment.
Earlier, President Mirziyoyev emphasized that training qualified personnel is essential for reducing both unemployment and poverty. He called for a transformation of vocational education into a three-tier system to ensure better alignment with the needs of the labor market.
