Digital transformation of Uzbekistan promotes regional integration in Central Asia

As part of the construction and development of New Uzbekistan, several significant strategic documents have been adopted, including “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, “The Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026”, and the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy which delineate the goals and objectives pertaining to the digital transformation of all regions and sectors. These documents also emphasize the extensive adoption of digital technologies, further enhancement of digital infrastructure, and the aim to place Uzbekistan among the top 30 countries globally in terms of e-government development by 2030, positioning the country as a regional IT hub.
Digital transformation indeed opens numerous opportunities for modernizing society, improving the well-being of the population, and enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy. Effective digital transformation offers numerous benefits, such as creating convenient conditions for all citizens, enabling access to global markets for goods and services, and fully digitizing public services. Reforms and development strategies of the New Uzbekistan are thus focused on achieving digital transformation across all key sectors.
In recent years, Uzbekistan has made substantial progress in developing digital infrastructure and services. In a short period, significant results have been achieved. For example, in Uzbekistan’s primary e-government system – the Unified Portal of Interactive Public Services (“My.gov.uz”) – new technologies have been implemented, and numerous public services have been digitized. As of October 2024, more than 60% of public services are provided through the “My.gov.uz” portal, with the number of services on this platform reaching 675. This year, the number of users of the e-government mobile application exceeded 2.5 million. From 2013 to 2023, over 100 million applications were submitted to “My.gov.uz”, and in 2024, the total number of internet users in Uzbekistan reached 31 million.
These achievements have been recognized internationally, particularly in the the United Nations E-Government Survey 2024. According to the Survey, published every two years by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Uzbekistan moved up six positions and, for the first time, entered the group of countries with a “very high” E-Government Development Index (EGDI). The ranking analyzes critical aspects of digital transformation, such as the level of digital government integration, effective digital policy, and the provision of electronic services in 193 UN member states.
In 2022, Uzbekistan ranked 69th in this international ranking with 0.7265 EGDI and in 2024, the country rose to 63rd place with 0.7999 EGDI, surpassing the target of 0.75 EGDI set for 2025 in the “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy.
Additionally, the World Bank’s most recent GovTech Maturity Index highly ranked Uzbekistan’s capabilities in digitalizing public administration and providing the population with digital and e-government services. In the GovTech Maturity Index of 2022 Uzbekistan advanced by 37 positions compared to 2020, ranking 43rd out of 198 countries and entering Group “A” with the highest GovTech maturity indicators. Moreover, according to the “GovTech Enablers” Index, Uzbekistan also ranked among the world’s top four countries in terms of digital skills and innovation in public services.
Despite these successes, Uzbekistan continues its efforts to develop e-government, digitize public administration, and expand access to digital services for citizens and businesses. By the Decree of the President of Uzbekistan, the “Digital Government” and “Digital Region” programs for 2023-2024 outlined 300 priority projects, including 112 for digitizing public administration, 51 for digitizing the real economy sector, and 137 for regional digital transformation. The aim is to provide high-quality digital infrastructure to all settlements, with full coverage by broadband mobile communication and data transmission networks by the end of 2024.
According to the “Uzbekistan 2030” strategy, plans are in place to expand the digitalization of public services and to implement a “Service State” system for citizens by scaling up e-government services, reducing bureaucratic procedures in citizen-state interactions, and digitalizing services based on “three steps” based on “user-adapted” and “all in one mobile application” principles. The transition to a new stage of “digital government,” where all documents and interactions are in digital form, is also outlined in the Strategy.
The digitalization of central and regional public administration structures, the establishment of electronic service points in each mahallas (citizens’ self-governing body), the digitalization of local councils most of activities, and the complete digitalization of about 5,000 public administration functions are also planned. Government agencies at all levels will operate based on the principle of a “state that serves the people.”
Furthermore, by the Decree of the President of Uzbekistan “Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence Technologies until 2030” was approved, setting a target for increasing AI-enabled services on the Unified Portal of Interactive Public Services to 10%.
To effectively implement the “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, which includes the digital transformation of all regions and sectors, a rating methodology was developed to assess the state of digital transformation in public administration and local government based on the UN E-Government Development Index. Monitoring covers areas such as openness, electronic participation, e-public services, information security, and digitalization levels.
In 2023, to improve the country’s digital infrastructure and expand access points for public services, around 30 services were implemented for 13 commercial banks, online payment systems, and mobile operators. Within the digital transformation of priority sectors, 100 software projects were developed, over 500 new IT companies were created, and $475 million in foreign direct investment was attracted. The export of IT services and software products from Uzbekistan continues to grow rapidly, reaching $344 million in 2023.
The country’s digital future relies on its youth and skilled IT professionals. Therefore, special attention is given to enhancing education quality in this field. Recently, the number of IT centers in the country exceeded 300, and within the “One Million Uzbek Coders” educational project, 1.2 million young people have been trained. Over 20,000 people, including entrepreneurs and youth have participated in training workshops to improve digital skills. Moving forward, plans include selecting, training, and preparing 5,000 talented young people annually for the international job market.
Uzbekistan systematically advances digital public administration, develops e-government, improves digital service delivery, and undertakes comprehensive digital transformation. The positive changes achieved are the result of practical steps to implement the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, aimed at positioning the country among the top 30 in the UN E-Government Survey by 2030 and achieving other priority goals. To fully realize the potential of digital transformation and transition to a digital government system, continued development of infrastructure, expansion of citizen access to digital services, enhancement of digital literacy, provision of cybersecurity in public information systems, support for local IT companies, favorable investment conditions, and accelerated integration into regional and global digital technology markets are essential. In this vein, successful digital transformation in Uzbekistan will not only boost the country’s technological capabilities but also play a significant role in fostering digital connectivity in Central Asia. Through interdepartmental cooperation in e-government and digital public services, Uzbekistan can accelerate regional collaboration and lay the ground for regional integration in Central Asia.

Farrukh Khakimov,
head of department, Development Strategy Center