As of July 1, 2025, Uzbekistan hosted 16,685 companies with foreign founders, the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan's reports says. In the first half of the year, their number increased by 12.2%, or 1,814 companies. Of these, 4,124 are joint ventures (up 4%), while 12,561 (+15.2%) are fully foreign-owned.
Top Foreign Investors
China remains the leader with 4,192 registered companies—one out of every four foreign companies in Uzbekistan. Since the beginning of 2025, Chinese businesses have opened 835 new entities, including 124 in June alone.
Russia ranks second with 3,098 companies (+161 in six months) and leads in joint ventures—905 compared to China’s 647. Turkey is third with 2,007 companies (+181). The top 10 also includes:
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Kazakhstan — 1,157
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South Korea — 687
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Afghanistan — 680 (−2)
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UAE — 374 (+4)
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Tajikistan — 357 (+10)
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India — 333 (+7)
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Kyrgyzstan — 327
The United States dropped to 11th place with 321 companies registered as of July.
Business Sectors
Trade accounts for the largest share of foreign-owned companies—6,038 (36%). Other major sectors include manufacturing (3,450, including 1,390 joint ventures), construction (1,256), and IT and telecommunications (1,210).
Two-thirds of all foreign-funded businesses are based in Tashkent, which hosts 2,280 joint ventures (55% of the total). Around 2,000 more are located in the Tashkent region, while Samarkand hosts 621, Surkhandarya 554, and Fergana 547 companies.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
July 23, 2025