From January to June 2026, 21,042 foreign citizens arrived in Uzbekistan to study—2.2 times more than in the same period in 2025, Daryo.uz reports.
The largest group consisted of citizens of Turkmenistan (9,207), followed by Indians (3,723), Tajikistan (1,915), and China (951). Kyrgyzstan also brought in 834 students.
Uzbekistan is also developing its international educational infrastructure: an international student campus is being established in Tashkent, and the government has set a goal for several national universities to gain international rankings.
The growing influx of students demonstrates that Uzbekistan is gradually becoming a major educational hub in Central Asia.
However, in terms of the total number of foreign students, it still lags behind neighboring Kyrgyzstan: over 40,000 foreign students are currently studying there, over 18,000 of whom are Indian citizens. Kazakhstan is also strengthening its position: in the 2025/26 academic year, 35,075 international students from 88 countries studied at its universities, an 11% increase from the previous year.
Thus, Uzbekistan is primarily focusing on the rapid expansion of international education and attracting students from neighboring countries, while Kyrgyzstan already has a more established international student market, and Kazakhstan is competing with its large university system and its growing international appeal.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 10, 2026