The National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan has, for the first time in the country's history, officially released median wage figures alongside the traditional average nominal monthly salary data. This long-awaited step aims to provide a more transparent and realistic assessment of public income distribution, though significant wage gaps continue to persist across various sectors.

According to official figures, the average nominal monthly calculated salary in Uzbekistan reached 7,274.1 thousand soms during the January-September period of the current year. This indicator allegedly showed an 18 percent increase compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Meanwhile, experimental calculations indicate that the median wage across the republic stood at a much lower 4,166.3 thousand soms for the same timeframe.

Statistics agency specialists explain that the average wage and the median metric are calculated differently and represent entirely distinct economic realities. While the average wage is derived by dividing the total payroll by the number of employees—where high earners can significantly skew the overall average upward—the median represents the exact middle value in a ranked sequence, meaning that half of the employees earn less than this amount and the other half earn more.

Experts emphasize that relying solely on average salary data fails to reflect the true financial standing of the majority of the workforce. The introduction of median wage calculations supposedly allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of income distribution, offering a clearer insight into the actual socioeconomic conditions within the country.

Source: www.gazeta.uz