The number of registered small business entities reached 415,000 as of 1 July, 2007. In the first half of 2007 small business entities contributed 38.1% of the GDP (up from 34.1% in January-June 2006), of which 7.7 % belong to small enterprises, 13.3% – to microfirms and 17.1% – to individual entrepreneurs.

About 71.8 % of total employed population (or 7,594,400 people) are employed in the sector of small business. The majority of them are individual entrepreneurs – 54.6% (or 5,780,500 people). Those employed in small enterprises and microfirms constitute 17.2% (or 1813.9 thousand persons) of all employed.

Industrial output of small business entities increased by 38.8% and reached 978.1 billion soums (11.4% of total industrial production), the production of agricultural products increased by 8.9% and amounted to 3,385.8 billion soums (97.3% of gross agricultural production).

The share of small business entities in fixed capital investment of the republic made up 18.5%, construction works – 49.1%.

The freight turnover of motor transport of small business entities increased by 20.3% and accounted for 66.6% of the total volume of freight turnover. Passenger conveyance by small business entities increased by 20.9% and reached 85.5% of the total volume of passenger turnover.

Moreover, small enterprises contributed about 44.9% or 1,947.3 billion soums to the total volume of retail trade turnover (growth – by 22.0%) and 45.5% or 573.6 billion soums to the total volume of paid services rendered to population (up 14.3%).

The share of small business entities in foreign trade turnover of Uzbekistan made up 19.5%. Small business entities exported goods to the amount of US$511.2 million (12.4% of total exports) and imported goods to the amount of US$776.6 million (31.4% of total imports).

Total loans extended to small business entities by commercial banks at the expense of their own resources amounted to 374.2 billion soums, and those appropriated from the credit lines of international financial institutions – US$20.89 million.

The share of the private sector in small business is high. The share of private enterprises (ownership of citizens) in total output of small business in January-June 2007 was as follows: in the industrial production – 41.3%, in agriculture – 100%, in construction – 71.5%, in retail trade – 81.8%, in paid services – 81.8%, in transportation of cargo – 93.1%, in transportation of passengers – 97.6%, in exports – 46%, in imports – 22.7%.