Uzbekistan’s natural gas output dropped to its lowest level in eight years in the first seven months of 2025, according to the data from the State Statistics Committee.
Between January and July, the country extracted 25.3bn cubic meters of gas, down 884mn cubic meters from the same period last year. The decline represents a 3.4% y/y decrease compared to 2024, when production stood at 26.2bn cubic meters.
Gas production in the same seven-month period reached 35.4bn cubic meters in 2019, 30.7bn in 2021, and 27.4bn in 2023. Current levels are roughly 10bn cubic meters lower than six years ago.
Despite the production slump, gas exports have increased. From January to July 2025, Uzbekistan sold $438.6mn worth of natural gas abroad, a 38.2% jump from the same period last year. At the same time, imports remained significant, totaling $734mn over the seven months.
Gas sales to the domestic market remain heavily subsidized, with prices kept below production costs. To cover these losses, the government allocated UZS 7 trillion ($561.8mn) from the state budget in 2025. Planned subsidies will decline to UZS 5.9 trillion ($473.5mn) in 2026 and UZS 5.5 trillion ($441.4mn) in 2027.
Initially, authorities announced that subsidies would be phased out entirely by 2028. At a Senate session in December 2024, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov stated that state support would end after a gradual reduction. However, recent budget plans indicate that UZS 5 trillion ($401.3mn) are still earmarked for gas subsidies in 2028, signaling a policy shift.
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