According to the data from the Agency of Statistics under the President, the average monthly nominal accrued wage in Uzbekistan at the end of the first quarter of 2024 increased by 19.8% compared to January-March 2023, reaching 4.92 million sum. In comparison to the figure at the end of 2023 (4.55 million sum), the salary rose by 8.1% over the three months.
The nominal accrued wage is calculated based on information from enterprises and organizations with legal entity status (excluding agricultural enterprises and small businesses). It includes employees' incomes from employment records, as well as their bonuses, rewards, stimulating and compensatory payments with income tax deductions and contributions to the trade union fund.
By the results of 2023, the average monthly nominal wage of legal entities (including agriculture and small businesses) increased from 3.2 million to 3.79 million sum (+18.2%), which is lower than the growth rates in 2022 (+20.4%) and 2021 (19.5%).
In terms of regions, in the first quarter, the highest average nominal wage remained in Tashkent, which increased by 22.3% annually (compared to 26.6% in January-March 2023), rising from 6.61 million to 8.12 million sum. Following are Navoi region – from 5.49 million to 6.5 million sum (+18.8% compared to 15.4%), Tashkent region – from 4.09 million to 4.76 million sum (+15.2% compared to 11.8%), Andijan region – from 3.5 million to 4.39 million sum (+25.2% compared to 17.9%), and Khorezm region – from 3.43 million to 4.008 million sum (+17.1% compared to 20.4%), surpassing Bukhara region – from 3.48 million to 4.004 million sum (+14.7% compared to 17.1%). Surkhandaryo region was at the bottom with a growth of 12.1% to 3.54 million sum. The lowest wages are also observed in Kashkadarya – 3.59 million sum (+16%), Namangan – 3.64 million sum (+14.6%), Samarkand – 3.67 million sum (+18.1%), and Jizzakh regions – 3.71 million sum (+18.2%).
The gap in wages between the capital and the regions continues to widen. In particular, the difference between the highest (Tashkent) and the lowest wage (Namangan region) increased from 2.14 times to 2.29 times. By the end of 2023, the indicator was 2.25 times, in 2022 – 2.18 times, in 2021 – 2.06 times, and in 2020 – 1.97 times. Only in Tashkent and Navoi regions are the average wages higher than the national average. Tashkent region, previously on this list, remains below the national figure.
By types of activities, the highest average wages are in the financial and insurance sectors, although the growth rates have decreased (from 31.8% to 19.8%), increasing from 11.04 million to 13.23 million sum. The information and communication sector increased by 23.5% to 11.73 million sum (compared to 46% in January-March 2023), transportation and storage – 7.36 million sum (18.8% compared to 35.1%), and industry – 6.1 million sum (19.2% compared to 14%).
The lowest average monthly wage still remains in the healthcare – 3.24 million sum (+17.4% compared to 16.4%) and education sectors – 3.43 million sum (+18.7% compared to 17.6%). The wage growth rates for teachers and doctors have slightly accelerated. Specifically, if in January-March 2022, wages in education were 26.5 percentage points below the national level, by the end of the first quarter of 2024, the gap increased to 30.2 percentage points. In healthcare, the difference increased from 32 to 34.1 percentage points. These two sectors employ the most workers – 38.5% in education and 16.9% in healthcare (after industry – 18.1%).
