The number of self-employed citizens in Uzbekistan reached 4.08 million as of October 1. This information was reported by the Tax Committee.
Over the past year, this figure increased by 1.89 million or 86.8%. From July to September, an additional 532,000 individuals obtained this status.
Samarkand region ranks first in terms of the number of self-employed individuals (470,000), followed by Kashkadarya (413.6 thousand) and Tashkent region (378.3 thousand) in the top three. The capital took fifth place (365.1 thousand) after Andijan region (370.9 thousand).
The largest number of self-employed people work in the household services sector—1.72 million, which is 2.3 times more than a year ago. Next is the agriculture sector with 1.02 million people (+51%) and social work with 462.3 thousand people (+66%).
In the production of consumer goods, 382.7 thousand self-employed individuals are working (2.1 times more), while in industry, there are about 380 thousand (+48.5%). The number of freelancers in IT has grown by 96%—to 104.9 thousand, with 12.6 thousand starting work in the last three months.
Passenger transport is carried out by 611.6 thousand people in a self-employed status. More than half of the taxi drivers (344.7 thousand) have legalized their status since the beginning of this year.
Since September 1, 2022, self-employed individuals have been allowed to transport passengers. To do this, they need to register as self-employed (if not already done), apply for permission at the State Services Center or through the EPIU, and pay the fee.
Private carriers are not required to pay taxes. However, if they wish, they can pay a social tax of 1 BRV (375,000 sums) annually to count the work towards their experience and gain the right to pension benefits.
A significant expansion of the list of activities for self-employed individuals occurred in November 2023. At that time, it included tailoring, the production of silk and adras fabric, beading, making children's toys, and several other occupations.
Earlier, Spot reported that the growth rate of VAT payers in Uzbekistan has slowed down by three times.