01Key Takeaways
- Uzbekistan imported $36.66 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 29.7% from $28.26 billion in 2022, a sharp increase and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Machinery and mechanical appliances led every import category at 17.4% ($6.36 billion), with vehicles ranking second at 13.3% ($4.88 billion).
- China was Uzbekistan's largest import partner, supplying 31.6% of imports, worth $11.58 billion, by far the largest share held by any single partner.
- The top three import partners together accounted for 57.5% of total import value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $21.9B | $20.0B | $23.9B | $28.3B | $36.7B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $11.6B | 31.6% |
| 2 | Russia | $6.5B | 17.8% |
| 3 | Kazakhstan | $3.0B | 8.1% |
| 4 | South Korea | $2.4B | 6.5% |
| 5 | Turkey | $1.8B | 4.9% |
| 6 | Turkmenistan | $950.1M | 2.6% |
| 7 | Germany | $934.5M | 2.5% |
| 8 | India | $651.9M | 1.8% |
| 9 | Brazil | $633.9M | 1.7% |
| 10 | France | $526.8M | 1.4% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $6.4B | 17.4% |
| 2 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $4.9B | 13.3% |
| 3 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $3.3B | 9.0% |
| 4 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $2.7B | 7.3% |
| 5 | Iron and Steel | $2.0B | 5.6% |
| 6 | Pharmaceutical Products | $1.6B | 4.4% |
| 7 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $1.4B | 3.8% |
| 8 | Articles of Iron or Steel | $1.2B | 3.3% |
| 9 | Aircraft, Spacecraft and parts thereof | $975.6M | 2.7% |
| 10 | Cereals | $846.8M | 2.3% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Surged in 2023, Extending a Steady Multi-Year Climb
Uzbekistan imported $36.66 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 29.7% from $28.26 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023, tracking the import side of trade for this Central Asian economy.
Import value stood at $21.87 billion in 2019. It fell to $20.02 billion in 2020, the low point of this five-year window, before climbing for three consecutive years. Import value reached $23.89 billion in 2021 and $28.26 billion in 2022, before jumping further to $36.66 billion in 2023, the high point of this five-year window.
This dataset does not explain what drove that sharp 2023 acceleration. A gain of 29.7% marks the steepest single-year increase across this entire five-year window. That surge closely tracks the sharp jump recorded on the export side of trade for this same country in 2023. Import value has now risen every year since 2020, an unbroken climb rather than an isolated spike. Import value has grown by well over half its 2019 starting level over the course of this five-year window.
Machinery and Vehicles Anchor an Import List Tied to China's Manufacturing Reach
Machinery and mechanical appliances led every import category in 2023, worth $6.36 billion, or 17.4% of the total, the largest single category on this list. Vehicles ranked second at 13.3%, worth $4.88 billion. China is Uzbekistan's largest trading partner and the largest source of its imports, with shipments from China dominated by construction machinery, electrical equipment, vehicles and industrial products. That pattern lines up closely with machinery and vehicles topping this import list and China ranking as Uzbekistan's leading import partner. Electrical machinery and equipment followed at 9.0%, worth $3.30 billion. These first three categories together account for well over a third of total import value.
Mineral fuels contributed 7.3%, worth $2.69 billion, and iron and steel added a further 5.6%, worth $2.04 billion. These first five categories together account for well over half of total import value.
Pharmaceutical products contributed 4.4% ($1.63 billion), and plastics added 3.8% ($1.40 billion). Iron or steel articles contributed 3.3%, worth $1.23 billion. Aircraft, spacecraft and parts added 2.7%, worth $975.64 million, and cereals closed out the top ten at 2.3%, worth $846.78 million, the smallest share among all ten categories on this list. A long tail of industrial and agricultural goods fills out the rest of this list. These ten categories span heavy machinery, energy, metals and consumer goods, reflecting an economy building out its industrial base through imports.
China and Russia Lead a Highly Concentrated Partner List
China was Uzbekistan's largest import partner in 2023, taking 31.6% of imports, worth $11.58 billion, nearly double the next-largest partner. Russia ranked second at 17.8%, worth $6.54 billion. Kazakhstan followed at 8.1%, worth $2.98 billion. Together, these top three partners accounted for 57.5% of total import value, a markedly lower concentration than seen on the export side of trade for this country. That gap reflects a partner base spread across more named countries here than on the export side.
South Korea contributed 6.5% ($2.39 billion), and Turkey added 4.9% ($1.81 billion). Turkmenistan followed at 2.6%, worth $950.07 million, a neighboring Central Asian supplier distinct from the larger economies ranked above it.
Germany contributed 2.5%, worth $934.54 million. India added 1.8% ($651.91 million), and Brazil contributed 1.7% ($633.90 million), a comparatively distant supplier relative to the regional partners ranked higher on this list. France closed out the top ten at 1.4%, worth $526.85 million, by far the smallest share among the ten partners listed here. This list spans Asia, Europe and South America, though China alone supplies nearly a third of all imports. Ranks four through ten here are packed within roughly five percentage points of each other, a far tighter cluster than the gap separating the top partner from the rest.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an import profile anchored in machinery and vehicles, surging alongside the sharp gain recorded on the export side of trade for this same country. That profile is sourced from a partner base led overwhelmingly by China and Russia, a somewhat less concentrated grouping than the export side of trade for this country.