Emigration from Uzbekistan rises by 10% in first half of 2025

The number of people leaving Uzbekistan to settle abroad permanently increased by around 10% in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024, according to the latest report from the National Statistics Committee.

Between January and June 2025, a total of 5,551 Uzbek citizens emigrated for permanent residence. Unlike previous reports, the committee did not disclose the destination countries this time.

For comparison, in the first half of 2024, 5,066 people left Uzbekistan to live abroad. Most of them moved to neighboring Kazakhstan (4,128 people), followed by Russia (760 people).

In the first half of this year, 673 people moved to Uzbekistan from abroad, a decline from 1,080 returnees during the same period last year.

Emigration trends

In 2024, a total of 10,842 people from Uzbekistan left for permanent residence in foreign countries. Of these, 8,792 moved to Kazakhstan and 1,601 to Russia. Others relocated to South Korea (96), Kyrgyzstan (73), Turkmenistan (39), and various other countries (241).

In 2023, the number of Uzbek citizens who emigrated reached 17,336 – significantly higher than in 2024. That year, 14,051 people went to Kazakhstan and 2,670 to Russia.

A decade ago, emigration figures were much higher. For instance, in 2010, 44,420 people left Uzbekistan for permanent residence abroad; in 2011, the number rose to 50,816; and in 2012, it stood at 45,447. Starting in 2015, however, the trend began to decline, with 31,765 people emigrating that year.

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