The average gross monthly salary in Uzbekistan reached 6.83 million soums in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 17.4% increase compared to the same period last year, the National Statistical Committee said in a report.
While this gross growth rate is slightly lower than the 18.4% recorded in the first quarter of 2025, real wage growth actually accelerated. Factoring in a year-on-year inflation rate of 7.1%, real wages climbed by 10.3%, up from 8.1% last year. By comparison, gross salaries rose by 19.6% against 7.98% inflation in Q1 2024, and by 20.1% against 11.66% inflation in Q1 2023.
Average earnings in the Tashkent province stood at 6.17 million soums (+13.9%), while the Andijan province saw averages of 5.58 million soums (+14.4%).
Conversely, the lowest average salaries were recorded in the Kashkadarya province at 4.67 million soums (+14.3%), Surkhandarya at 4.72 million soums (+12.1%), Fergana at 5.02 million soums (+15.7%), and the Samarkand province at 5.07 million soums (+16.5%).
In terms of growth pace, the Namangan province topped the list with a 19% surge, while Surkhandarya recorded the slowest growth at 12.1%.
The income gap between the capital and the provinces widened slightly over the past year. Specifically, the disparity between the highest-earning area (Tashkent) and the lowest-earning area (Kashkadarya) grew from 2.4 to 2.5 times. This wealth gap has steadily widened over the years, rising from 1.97 times in 2020 to 2.06 in 2021, 2.18 in 2022, and 2.25 by the end of 2023.
Highest-Paying Trades
Breaking down the data by economic sector, the finance, insurance, leasing, and credit mediation industries remain the highest-paying fields, commanding an average monthly salary of 18.6 million soums (+18.2%).
The information and communication sector secured second place, with average monthly salaries reaching 16.53 million soums (+11%).
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the lowest average salaries among the analyzed sectors were recorded in healthcare and social work at 4.11 million soums (+13%), and education at 4.62 million soums (+14.2%). Hospitality and food services averaged 5.33 million soums (+12.2%), while the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector sat at 5.36 million soums (+10%).
The average salary for schoolteachers stood at 4.47 million soums (+12.8%). Because teacher pay increases lagged behind the national average growth rate, their earnings slid to just 65.5% of the countrywide baseline, down from 68.5% during the same period last year.
In contrast, higher education professionals saw their average salary hit 10.84 million soums (+13.1%). Technical and vocational education salaries averaged 4.93 million soums (+18.7%), while early childhood education remained severely underfunded, averaging a meager 2.49 million soums (+14.8%).
The strongest growth dynamic within the transportation and storage sector was observed in land and pipeline transport, which surged by 27% to reach 9.15 million soums. Conversely, the warehousing and auxiliary transport activities sector experienced a slight downturn, dropping by 0.3%.
Within the industrial sector, mining and quarrying topped the pay scale at 10.96 million soums (+16.1%). Employees in electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply averaged 9.84 million soums (+17%), manufacturing workers pulled in 7.63 million soums (+15.6%), and those in water supply, sewerage, and waste management earned 5.26 million soums (+17,4%).
In the tech sector, information service activities commanded the highest premium at 21.94 million soums (+12.4%), followed closely by computer programming, consultancy, and related IT services at 21.2 million soums (+2%). Telecommunications personnel averaged 12.51 million soums (+12.3%).
The financial sector yielded the highest overall figures, led by the insurance and reinsurance industry (excluding compulsory social security) at an impressive 24.31 million soums (+37%). Financial services and insurance brokerage support activities brought in an average of 20.58 million soums (+17.4%), while non-insurance financial services and pension funding recorded 18.08 million soums (+15.5%).
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