Population of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia (over 36 million people).

Size and composition

• Most of the population is made up of Uzbeks (more than 80%).
• Tajiks, Kazakhs, Russians, Karakalpaks, Tatars and others also live here.
• The population is young: the share of children and young people is high.
• Among the most populous regions are Samarkand and Fergana regions.

Distribution

• The population is unevenly distributed.
• Densely populated areas: the Fergana Valley, the Zarafshan Valley, the area around Tashkent. The most densely populated region: Andijan.
• Sparsely populated areas: Karakalpakstan, Navoi.
• About half of the population lives in cities.
• The largest city: Tashkent (~3 million). Other large cities: Samarkand, Namangan, Andijan, Bukhara.

Dense	Sparse
Andijan (densest)	Karakalpakstan
Fergana Valley	Navoi
Area around Tashkent
Zarafshan Valley

Natural growth

• The birth rate is high and the death rate is low, so natural growth is significant.
• Labor resources are abundant. Providing employment and migration are important issues.
• Dense: Andijan, sparse: Karakalpakstan, Navoi is also sparse. A region with a large area is not necessarily densely populated.
• The population is large in Samarkand and Fergana regions.