ICT exports passed $1 billion in 2025. Which milestones best define where Uzbekistan stands today?

Every serious investor looks for the same fundamentals stability, growth potential and people. Uzbekistan delivers on all three. But it is our human capital that makes this story genuinely exceptional. Over 60% of our population is under 30. That is not simply a demographic statistic that is a structural economic advantage that compounds over decades. A young, growing, working-age population drives consumption, innovation and productivity. We are at that same inflection point. Right now.

But our youth are not just young they are hungry to learn. Consider one single fact: Uzbekistan ranks number one globally on Coursera by user base not in Central Asia, it is in the world of which 58.9% were female users. Our students from Tashkent, from Samarkand, from cities across the country are pursuing AI, data science, technology and business. They are competing intellectually with peers from the United States, India and Europe. Voluntarily and passionately.

This is not accidental. Education and technology are national priorities not rhetoric, but deliberate policy. We are building IT parks, launching specialised universities, and forming international academic partnerships at a pace that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. We are converting demographic size into economic strength. A young population without skills is just a number. A young population with digital literacy, technical education, and ambition that is an engine. For this reason, last year we launched the "5 Million AI Leaders" project in cooperation with the UAE to create "free-study" opportunities for our youth. And yet, global investors still associate Central Asia with commodity dependence and outdated political narratives. That picture no longer reflects reality. Uzbekistan has been quietly and consistently reforming opening markets, improving the business environment, and building the institutional foundations that long-term capital requires.

More: https://invest.miit.uz/document/services/portal/The Investor Interviews docs/SHERZOD SHERMATOV/e504c1c422b54e8ba15d20c83dff13b1Minister Digital.pdf