Uzbekistan's economy has seen positive development in the past few years. Gold, cotton and natural gas are the country's key export products. However, only a small proportion of the population is actually benefiting from the economic upturn. Rural dwellers in particular are badly affected by poverty, unemployment and inadequate medical care.

Capital

Tashkent

Offical Language

Uzbek

Area

448,978 km²

Population

approx. 33.26 Million

Population growth

0.91 %

Rural Population

50 % of the overall population

Gross Domestic Product

50.49 Billion US Dollars

Annual Income per Capita

Approx. 1550 Dollars

Agriculture as a share of GDP

28.79 % (as of 2018)

Severity of hunger according to the World Hunger Index

moderate (WHI: 10.7)

Human Development Index

Index: 0,710 / Rank: 108 of 189

At the heart of Central Asia

With over 32 million inhabitants, Uzbekistan is by far the most populous country in Central Asia. It plays a key role in both the economic development and the security of the region, and is thus an important partner country for Germany in terms of development cooperation.
Since 1991 Uzbekistan has been an independent republic, belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) along with other successor states to the Soviet Union.
In September 2016, Islam Karimov, who had been president of the country since it gained independence, died. That December, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, for many years the country's Prime Minister, was elected as the new president. The most important political powers are concentrated in the hands of the president. There is currently no parliamentary opposition, as none is permitted . At the parliamentary elections held in December 2014, only the four parties already represented in parliament – and close to the government – were allowed to stand for election.

Cooperation with Germany

Uzbekistan is one of the partner countries with which Germany is closely engaged in development cooperation based on intergovernmental agreements. Development cooperation focuses on improving health and on sustainable economic development. The aim of German involvement is to bring about tangible improvements in the living conditions of the Uzbek people.

More on the subject:

BMZ: http://www.bmz.de/en/countries_regions/asien/usbekistan/index.html?follow=adword
World Bank: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/uzbekistan
Country Indicators FAO: http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/index/en/?iso3=UZB
Human Development Report: http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/UZB
World Hunger Index: https://www.globalhungerindex.org/uzbekistan.html