As of February 1, Uzbekistan had 4.61 million self-employed citizens. In January, their number increased by more than 142,000 people, according to the press service of the Tax Committee.
The Samarkand region remains in first place for the number of self-employed individuals (526,000), followed by Tashkent (456,300) and Kashkadarya regions (453,900). Tashkent ranks 7th with 405,500 people, behind Andijan (412,800), Fergana (411,500), and Namangan regions (409,200).
The majority of self-employed individuals work in the household services sector—1.97 million, which is an increase of 95.7% compared to January 2024. This is followed by the agricultural sector with 1.15 million people (a growth of 57.5%) and social services with 503,600 people (+54.4%).
Over 736,000 people are engaged in private passenger transportation, with 43,200 registering in the past month.
The number of self-employed individuals in industry showed an increase of 49.2% over the year, reaching 432,300. A total of 430,200 self-employed individuals are involved in the production of consumer goods and services (+94.1%), while the IT sector employs 122,100 people (+82.5%). Among the self-employed, women accounted for 42%, and men for 58%.
Self-Employed
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 a permit at the State Services Center or on the EPIGU portal, and pay the fee.
Private carriers are not required to pay taxes. However, they can choose to pay a social tax of 1 BRW annually to increase their work experience and qualify for pension benefits.
A significant expansion of the list of activities for the self-employed occurred in November 2023. This included tailoring, atlas production, bead weaving, toy manufacturing, and several other activities.
At the January meeting, the president instructed that self-employed individuals be allowed to work in the taxi sector on a permanent basis. Prior to this, a temporary arrangement had been in place, which ended in late 2024.
Previously, Spot reported that private transportation was officially included in the list of activities for the self-employed.