Remittances to Uzbekistan totaled $3.8 billion in the first quarter of 2026, a 13% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Central Bank's labor market review.
The regulator noted continued diversification of remittance sources by country. Russia's share of total inflows decreased to 72.4% from 77.6% in Q1 2025.
The Central Bank attributed this to several factors, including higher patent fees since the start of the year, the ruble's depreciation in March, and the expansion of labor migration destinations.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's share of total remittances rose by 1 percentage point to 4.1%. The share of European countries also increased by 1 p.p. to 3.3%, while South Korea's share grew by 0.6 p.p. to 4.1%. The share of other countries rose by 2.6 p.p. to 16.2%.
Based on the total volume of $3.8 billion, Russia accounted for approximately $2.75 billion, while other countries contributed about $1.05 billion. This includes roughly $156 million each from Kazakhstan and South Korea, about $125 million from European countries, and approximately $616 million from other nations.
In Q1, population mobility continued to increase. Some 1.63 million Uzbek citizens traveled abroad in January-March, up 11.6% year-on-year. Air passenger traffic rose 32% to 2.25 million people.
According to the latest data, 1.34 million Uzbek citizens worked in Russia under patents in Q1, down 8.8% from the previous quarter and 1.8% year-on-year. The Central Bank attributed this decline to seasonal factors and changing conditions in the external labor market.
Diversification of labor migration destinations continues. The number of official permits issued to Uzbek citizens in Turkey increased 14% year-on-year to nearly 70,000. The number of Uzbek citizens in South Korea also continued to grow, reaching 99,600.
In 2025, remittances to Uzbekistan totaled $18.9 billion, up 27.2% from 2024. These inflows helped maintain stability in the domestic foreign exchange market. Remittances from Uzbeks working in developed and several Asian countries grew nearly 22% to $3.49 billion.
Source: www.gazeta.uz