As of January 1, 2025, Uzbekistan had 4.47 million self-employed citizens. Over the past year, this number has increased by 76.5% or nearly 2 million people, according to the press service of the Tax Committee.

The Samarkand region remains in first place for the number of self-employed individuals (508.1 thousand), followed by the Tashkent region (447.2 thousand) and the Kashkadarya region (442.5 thousand). Tashkent has dropped to 7th place with 392.7 thousand people, falling behind the Namangan (398.6 thousand), Fergana (397.8 thousand), and Andijan regions (394.9 thousand).

The majority of self-employed individuals work in the household services sector—1.91 million, which is 2.04 times more compared to 2023. This is followed by the agriculture sector with 1.1 million people (a growth of 53.6%) and social work with 496.9 thousand people (+55.9%).

More than 700 thousand people are engaged in private passenger transportation, with 450.5 thousand registering in the past year.

The number of self-employed individuals in industry nearly doubled in 2024, reaching 418.9 thousand. A total of 417.8 thousand self-employed individuals are involved in the production of consumer goods and services (+49.6%), while the IT sector employs 119.7 thousand people (+87%). Among the self-employed, women accounted for 42%, and men for 58%.

Self-Employed Individuals

Since September 1, 2022, self-employed individuals have been allowed to transport passengers. To do this, they must register as self-employed (if not already done), apply for permission at the State Services Center or on the EPIGU, and pay a fee.

Private carriers are not required to pay taxes. However, if they wish, they can pay a social tax of 1 BRW annually to increase their work experience and gain the right to pension benefits.

A significant expansion of the list of activities for the self-employed occurred in November 2023. This included tailoring, silk production, beadwork, 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 order was in effect, which ended in late 2024.

Earlier, Spot reported that in 2024, the number of individual entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan increased by nearly 18%.