INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN UZBEKISTAN: TRENDS, DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS, AND POLICY DIRECTIONS
Keywords:
international trade; economic growth; trade openness; export diversification; Uzbekistan; capital goods imports; foreign direct investment; global value chains.Abstract
International trade plays an important role in the development of developing countries by expanding export markets, transferring technology, attracting investment, and modernizing the economic structure. Uzbekistan is implementing reforms to liberalize foreign trade, improve the investment climate, and integrate local enterprises into global value chains. Using official data, this article provides a descriptive macroeconomic analysis of Uzbekistan's foreign trade in 2025 (volume, partners, and composition) and of its dynamics alongside real GDP growth and trade openness over 2022–2025.
In 2025, foreign trade turnover reached USD 81.2 billion and real GDP growth reached 7.7 percent. However, short-period descriptive data do not prove a causal relationship between trade and economic growth. The results show that the benefits of trade depend on export diversification, the functional composition of imports, logistics efficiency, human capital, and institutional reforms. The article offers recommendations on accelerating the WTO accession process, developing high-value-added production and services exports, digitalizing customs procedures, and improving transport corridors.