Uzbekistan produced 12.6bn cubic meters of natural gas in the first four months of 2026, down 2.4bn cubic meters from the same period last year and marking the country’s lowest January–April output in nine years.
According to the Statistics Committee, natural gas production continued declining in early 2026. Between January and April, the country extracted 12.6bn cubic meters of gas, compared with 15bn cubic meters during the same period in 2025.
The drop becomes more visible when compared with previous years. Uzbekistan produced 19.5bn cubic meters in the first four months of 2018 and nearly 20.5bn cubic meters during the same period in 2019. Production later stood at 17.2bn cubic meters in 2020, 18.1bn in 2021, 18bn in 2022, 16.3bn in 2023 and 15.3bn in 2024 before falling further this year.
Annual production has also remained below earlier levels. For the first time in 15 years, Uzbekistan’s yearly gas output dropped below 50bn cubic meters in 2023, reaching 46.7bn cubic meters. That figure declined further to 41.5bn cubic meters in 2024 before rising slightly to 42.3bn cubic meters in 2025.
Current forecasts suggest gradual growth in the coming years, with output projected at 42.9bn cubic meters in 2027, 44.5bn in 2028, 45.5bn in 2029 and 48.5bn cubic meters by 2030.
Under the Uzbekistan–2030 strategy approved in 2023, the country had initially aimed to increase annual gas production to 62bn cubic meters by the end of the decade. That target has since been revised downward, with the latest 2030 projection now about 13.5bn cubic meters lower than originally planned.
Long-term pressure on gas supply
Uzbekistan maintained annual natural gas production above 50bn cubic meters between 2010 and 2022. In 2010 alone, output reached nearly 66bn cubic meters. However, production entered a sharper decline from 2023, when volumes fell to 46.7bn cubic meters, before dropping to 41.5bn cubic meters in 2024.
Two years ago, Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov said around 85% of Uzbekistan’s gas fields had already been depleted. He noted that extraction is increasingly moving deeper underground, making production more technically challenging and expensive.
According to the minister, aging compressor stations and outdated technological equipment have also led to more frequent disruptions, while delayed modernization has increased operating costs and reduced efficiency across parts of the sector.
As of August 2023, Uzbekistan’s total proven gas reserves were estimated at 1.8 trillion cubic meters, with around half located in fields operated by Uzbekneftegaz.
The decline in gas production has come even as industrial activity continues growing. Uzbekistan’s industrial output reached nearly $23bn in early 2026, up 8% year-on-year, despite lower volumes in gas, oil and coal extraction.
The decline in domestic production has also coincided with rising imports. Uzbekistan’s gas imports increased by 53.6% year-on-year in January–April 2026, according to foreign trade data, as the country expanded purchases of fuel alongside machinery and food products.
Authorities have also moved to reduce domestic energy demand. In February, officials announced plans for small and medium-sized businesses to save 100mn cubic meters of natural gas and 500mn kWh of electricity in 2026 as part of broader efforts to optimize energy use, ease pressure on supply and support the country’s ongoing energy transition.
The government has also approved a broader energy efficiency plan for 2026, targeting savings of 4.3bn kWh of electricity and 2.8bn cubic meters of natural gas through infrastructure upgrades, stricter energy standards and wider use of renewable energy.
In May, officials said electricity grid modernization carried out between 2017 and 2025 helped save 128.6mn cubic meters of natural gas and prevented more than 353,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to official data.
