From state statistics to official statistics: Uzbekistan's statistics laws and the 2026 population census

Statistical work in Uzbekistan was governed first by the 2002 Law "On State Statistics" and, since 2021, by the Law "On Official Statistics". The statistics office was reorganised in 2022 and 2025, and at the start of 2026 the first nationwide population census since 1989 was held. Short theses and a calculation of how a per capita indicator changes when the population figure changes.

Inflation, unemployment, gross domestic product, population: we hear these figures in the news every day. Who calculates them, and under what rules? In Uzbekistan the answer lies in two laws and the history of a statistics office that has been reorganised several times.

Key theses

2002: the Law "On State Statistics". The law was adopted on 12 December 2002 as No. 441-II and amended several times in the following years (Spinform, PRG.kz).
2021: the Law "On Official Statistics". The new law was adopted on 11 August 2021 as No. ZRU-707: the Legislative Chamber passed it on 7 May 2021 and the Senate approved it on 26 June (LexUZ, National Statistics Committee). The 2002 law lost force under this law (PRG.kz).
From "state" to "official". The change of name is no accident. According to the National Statistics Committee, the term "official statistics" was introduced in place of "state statistics": official statistics are now produced not only by the statistics office but also by other ministries and agencies that prepare and disseminate them. The draft law drew on the model law of the UN Economic Commission for Europe.
Late 2022: the Statistics Agency. By presidential documents adopted in December 2022, the State Statistics Committee was transformed into the Statistics Agency and placed under the President (Kun.uz); in official reports from 2023 the office was called the "Statistics Agency under the President" (stat.uz).
2025: the National Statistics Committee. By Presidential Decree No. UP-27 of 24 February 2025, the agency was transformed into the National Statistics Committee (stat.uz, Kun.uz).
2026: the first population census since 1989. The population and agriculture census was held from 15 January to 28 February 2026. According to preliminary results, the population is 39 047 321 people, and 82.3 percent of the population was counted online (aholi.stat.uz, The Star, Daryo, Trend).
The gap between estimate and count. As Yep.uz and The Times of Central Asia report, the count came out about 810 thousand people higher than the current statistical estimate. This shows the main purpose of a census: to "correct" from time to time, with an actual count, the estimate kept over the years on the basis of births, deaths and migration.

Then and now

Aspect	2002–2021	Today
Main law	"On State Statistics" (441-II, 12 December 2002)	"On Official Statistics" (ZRU-707, 11 August 2021)
Office	State Statistics Committee (until late 2022; then the Statistics Agency)	National Statistics Committee (UP-27, 24 February 2025)
Last nationwide population census	The 1989 census	15 January – 28 February 2026
Counting method	—	82.3 percent of the population online, the rest door to door using tablets

Example: what happens to a per capita indicator when the population figure changes?

The following example was prepared by the author. The population figures are taken from the official preliminary result and the current estimate, while the 390 trillion soum indicator is hypothetical.

Imagine some nationwide indicator (for example, the annual volume of services) is, hypothetically, 390 trillion soum. Dividing it by the population gives the amount per capita:

Denominator	Population	Per capita
Current statistical estimate (as of 1 January 2026)	38 236 704	10 199 624 soum
2026 census (preliminary)	39 047 321	9 987 881 soum
Difference	+810 617 people	−211 743 soum (about −2.1%)

Check: 39 047 321 − 38 236 704 = 810 617 people, which is about 2.12% more than the estimate. Even though the numerator (390 trillion) did not change, the per capita indicator fell by about 2.1% because the denominator grew.

Practical lesson: when comparing per capita indicators across years, check which source the population figure came from. After a census, indicators may be recalculated, so an old table should not simply be merged with a new one.

Link to the previous period: in ancient times people were counted for taxes and soldiers; in the 20th century the sampling method made it possible to know without asking everyone. In the 2026 census, a large part of the population registered themselves via the internet: a practical illustration of statistics in the digital age.