Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — As of 1 January 2025, Uzbekistan has 4.47 million registered self-employed individuals, marking a 76.5% increase compared to the previous year—almost 2 million more people. This was stated by the press service of the Tax Committee.

The Samarkand region leads in the number of self-employed, with 508,100 individuals, followed by the Tashkent (447,200) and Kashkadarya (442,500) regions.

Tashkent city dropped to 7th place with 392,700 registered self-employed, trailing the Namangan (398,600), Ferghana (397,800), and Andijan (394,900) regions.

The most significant growth was seen in household services, employing 1.91 million people—2.04 times more than in 2023.

Agriculture also recorded notable growth, with 1.1 million self-employed individuals (+53.6%), followed by social work, employing 496,900 (+55.9%). Additionally, over 700,000 people are engaged in private passenger transport services, with 450,500 registering in the past year.

The number of self-employed in the industrial sector nearly doubled in 2024, reaching 418,900 individuals.

Consumer goods production and service provision employ 417,800 people (+49.6%), while the IT sector saw a surge to 119,700 individuals (+87%). Women account for 42% of the self-employed, while men make up 58%.