The shadow economy grew to a third of Uzbekistan’s GDP

In Uzbekistan, from July to September 2025, the unobserved economy of Uzbekistan amounted to 433.67 trillion soums, increasing its share in the country’s GDP to 33.3%, according to the National Statistics Committee.

According to the information, since the beginning of the year, the volume of GDP has exceeded $108.73 billion, increasing by 7.6% in real terms. At the same time, the share of the unobserved economy in it amounted to 36.17 billion, increasing to 33.3% compared to 32.9% in the first half of the year.

It is also noted that the volume of the informal economy, which is part of the unobserved economy, has increased significantly. In particular, the activity of households and individuals during this period amounted to 333.82 trillion soums or 25.6% of GDP. The shadow sector, which is also part of the uncontrolled economy, amounted to 99.85 trillion soums and 7.7% of GDP.

According to the agency, the largest share of the uncontrolled economy, namely 69.4% of the total volume, was accounted for by agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. Next came the service sector, accounting for 36.2% and construction — 35%, while industry accounted for only 10.2% of the non-observed economy.

Earlier, it was reported that thousands of Uzbekistanis had left the “shadow” sector of the economy. In the country, more than six million people officially pay income tax.