Population and Demographics

Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country. Its 27 million people, concentrated in the south and east of the country, comprise nearly half the region's total population. Uzbekistan had been one of the poorest republics of the Soviet Union; much of its population was engaged in cotton farming in small rural collective farms (kolkhozy). In the recent years, the fraction of the rural population has continued to increase, now reaching 63.5%. The population of Uzbekistan is very young: 32.4% of it are people younger than 14.

The nationality of any person from Uzbekistan is Uzbekistani, while the ethnic Uzbek majority simply call themselves Uzbeks. This ethnic group comprise 80% of the total population, with other groups including Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, and Tatar 1.5%. The nation is 88% Muslim (mostly Sunni, with a 5% Shi'a minority) and 9% Eastern Orthodox.

Uzbek is the only official state language. However, Russian is the de facto language for interethnic communication, including much day-to-day technical, scientific, governmental and business use.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 27,780,059
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 32.4% (male 4,587,338/female 4,416,014)
  • 15-64 years: 62.8% (male 8,636,226/female 8,817,633)
  • 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 543,417/female 779,431)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 22.9 years
  • Male: 22.3 years
  • Female: 23.5 years
• Population Growth Rate: 1.732%
• Birth Rate: 26.46 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 7.73 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: -1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.039 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 0.979 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.697 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 0.982 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 68.89 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 73.5 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 64.05 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 64.98 years
  • Male: 61.57 years
  • Female: 68.56 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 2.88 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 11,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Uzbek 80%
  • Russian 5.5%
  • Tajik 5%
  • Kazakh 3%
  • Karakalpak 2.5%
  • Tatar 1.5%
  • Other 2.5%
• Religions:
  • Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis)
  • Eastern Orthodox 9%
  • Other 3%
• Languages:
  • Uzbek 74.3%
  • Russian 14.2%
  • Tajik 4.4%
  • Other 7.1%
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 99.3%
  • Male: 99.6%
  • Female: 99%