Uzbekistan faces rising heatwave deaths: World Bank report

According to a World Bank study, heatwave-related excess deaths in Uzbekistan range from 19 to 21 per 100,000 people annually. By 2090, Uzbekistan could see 10,000 to 23,000 deaths per year due to extreme heat. Other projections and impacts are outlined below.

In Uzbekistan, heatwave-related excess deaths across all age groups account for 19 to 21 cases per 100,000 people each year, as reported in the World Bank study. The research highlights the detrimental effects of heatwaves on human life and economies across 70 cities in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Notably, in Ashgabat, such deaths range from 25 to 28 per 100,000 people. In Astana, Bishkek, and Tashkent, the figures align with Uzbekistan’s range of 19–21 cases.

By 2090, several major Central Asian cities, including Astana and Tashkent, could experience annual deaths ranging from 10,000 to 23,000 due to rising temperatures.

The study notes that in 2023, rising temperatures in the ECA region led to the loss of over 87,000 full-time jobs, with more than 22,000 in Uzbekistan and nearly 18,000 in Azerbaijan. By 2050, economic losses due to heat in nine cities in the region, including Ashgabat, could exceed 2% of their GDP annually.

In Kyrgyzstan, extreme temperatures damage approximately 200 km of roads each year, incurring significant repair costs and disrupting economic activities reliant on transportation infrastructure.

The study proposes measures that ECA cities can implement now to mitigate the adverse effects of rising temperatures. These include planting trees to increase green spaces and shaded areas, modernizing buildings for passive cooling, establishing early warning systems for residents, improving healthcare system operations, creating cooling centers, using heat-resistant materials, and incorporating weather anomalies into urban infrastructure planning.