According to data from the National Statistics Committee, during the reporting period, exports fell 3.6% to $19.93 billion, while imports rose 17.8% to $29.6 billion. The resulting trade deficit more than doubled, from $4.44 billion to $9.67 billion.

Non-monetary gold exports fell 2.7-fold to $2.8 billion, compared with $7.59 billion in the first seven months of 2025.

China remained Uzbekistan’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $11.26 billion, or 22.7% of total foreign trade. Trade with China increased 33.6% year on year.

Russia ranked second at $8.12 billion, with trade between the two countries rising 11.8%. Kazakhstan followed with $3.26 billion, up 24%, while trade with Turkey reached $1.64 billion, an increase of 2.3%.

Afghanistan ranked fifth at $1.23 billion, with bilateral trade surging 45.8%.

The rest of the top 10 trading partners were France at $1.08 billion, up 30.7%; South Korea at $1.07 billion, up 8.7%; the United Arab Emirates at $928.7 million, up 37.3%; and Turkmenistan at $779.4 million, up 15.9%.

Hong Kong rounded out the top 10, with trade increasing 9.1-fold to $776.8 million.

Exports

Industrial goods were Uzbekistan’s largest merchandise export category, generating $2.86 billion in revenue, up 22.4% year on year.

Textile yarn and fabrics accounted for $1.15 billion, up 26.3%, while non-ferrous metals brought in $1.04 billion, an increase of 7.8%. Exports of products made from non-metallic minerals rose 29.7% to $207.7 million.

Iron and steel exports increased 1.9-fold to $185.1 million. Exports of cork and wood products rose 88.9% to $25.1 million, while metal products generated $178.5 million, up 47%.

Exports of miscellaneous manufactured goods jumped 89.1% to $1.68 billion. Clothing exports reached $752.3 million, up 30%, while furniture exports increased 2.8-fold to $31.5 million and footwear exports rose 59.7% to $14.8 million. Exports of other manufactured goods not classified elsewhere increased 3.2-fold to $868.4 million.

Chemical exports generated $1.55 billion, up 35%. Inorganic chemicals accounted for $944.8 million, up 47.2%, while fertilizer exports stood at $255.3 million, up 1.4%.

Food exports brought in $1.54 billion, up 2.3%. Fruits and vegetables accounted for $1.06 billion, down 4%, while grain exports reached $340.7 million, up 14.6%. Exports of live animals and animal feed increased 2.9-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively, to $21.4 million and $28.5 million.

Energy exports totaled $931.5 million, up 5.4%. More than half came from oil and petroleum products, which generated $515.9 million, up 51.2%.

Natural gas exports fell 36.2% to $279.7 million, while electricity exports increased 30.3% to $134 million.

Machinery and equipment exports rose by nearly 35% to $757.2 million. Electrical appliances and equipment accounted for the largest share at $176.6 million, up 31.4%.

Vehicle exports fell 2.2% to $157.2 million, while exports of vehicle parts and accessories declined 4.8% to $129.3 million.

Exports of services reached $7.33 billion, accounting for 36.8% of total exports and rising 35.3% year on year. Tourism generated $3.94 billion, followed by transport services at $2.31 billion and IT services at $622 million.

Imports

Machinery and equipment remained the largest import category, with imports reaching $9.7 billion, up 20%.

Vehicles and other transport equipment accounted for $2.4 billion, up 27.9%, while electrical equipment imports rose 38.1% to $1.59 billion.

Uzbekistan spent $1.43 billion on general industrial machinery, up 0.5%, and $1.38 billion on specialized machinery, down 11%. Imports of telecommunications and audio equipment surged 87.5% to $1.01 billion, while imports of power-generating machinery reached $989.7 million, up 48.2%.

Imports of vehicle parts and accessories totaled $1.08 billion, up 10.9%. Passenger cars and other transport vehicles accounted for $920.4 million, an increase of 73.5%.

Industrial goods ranked second among import categories at $4.38 billion, up 10.1%. Iron and steel imports rose 0.9% to $1.71 billion, while non-ferrous metal imports surged 87.2% to $612.9 million. Imports of textile yarn and fabrics increased 8.6% to $350.1 million.

Metal product imports reached $587.4 million, up 1.3%, while rubber product imports fell 4% to $305.5 million.

Imports of chemical products increased 15.6% to $3.58 billion. Medical and pharmaceutical products accounted for $1.11 billion, down 0.8%, while primary plastics reached $653.7 million, up 11.9%. Imports of chemical materials and products rose 27.9% to $550.4 million.

Food imports climbed 41.9% to $3.28 billion. Grain imports reached $864.9 million, up 60.7%, while meat and meat products accounted for $574 million, up 36.7%. Imports of sugar and confectionery products rose 51.2% to $434 million, while fruits and vegetables increased 31.9% to $352.8 million. Coffee, tea, cocoa and spices accounted for $312.9 million, up 22.5%.

Imports of fuel and energy resources increased 10.7% to $2.51 billion. Oil and petroleum product imports reached $1.34 billion, up 15.1%, including $921.5 million spent on fuels and lubricants.

Gasoline imports surged 60.8% to $426 million, while diesel imports rose 1.1% to $163.3 million. Gas imports increased 8.2% to $1.01 billion, including $105.4 million worth of propane – a 3.6-fold increase.

Coal imports totaled $108.4 million, up 3.6%, while electricity imports fell 17.9% to $55.8 million.

Imports of services reached $3.62 billion, up 13.3%, accounting for 12.2% of total imports. Travel and tourism services led the category at $1.58 billion, followed by transport services at $989.6 million and IT services at $331.5 million.

The new target comes after Uzbekistan surpassed expectations for economic growth. Three years ago, the country set a goal of reaching $160 billion in gross domestic product by 2030. Mirziyoyev said that target is now expected to be surpassed as early as this year, despite disruptions to global logistics and continued geopolitical uncertainty.

“Three years ago, we planned to bring GDP to $160 billion by 2030. Despite disruptions in global logistics and instability around the world, we will exceed this target already this year and join the ranks of upper-middle-income countries,” the president said.

Uzbekistan’s GDP is expected to reach $180 billion by the end of 2026, according to figures cited by Mirziyoyev.

The president said the next challenge would be to sustain high rates of economic growth and raise GDP to $300 billion within the next four years.

Mirziyoyev also highlighted progress in reducing poverty. He said the poverty rate had fallen from 35% in 2017 to 4%, attributing the decline to economic reforms and sustained efforts to improve living standards.