Poverty in Uzbekistan

The standard 1990 baseline year for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is inappropriate in Uzbekistan due to the sharp fall in living standards that followed independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Instead the baseline refers to surveys conducted in the years immediately before and after the millennium. For example, extreme poverty was assessed in 2001 at 27.5%, based on the cost of essential daily food intake. Progress towards the target of 14% by 2015 is slow, the rate having reduced only to 25.8% in 2005. The 2008 Amnesty International Report suggests that the rate may have since risen to 30% and a Unicef report published in 2007 records that 15% of children experience chronic malnutrition.

Nevertheless, the MDG Progress Report published in 2006 concludes that Uzbekistan can “potentially” or “probably” meet all the Goals except that for combating HIV/AIDS. The Uzbekistan government does recognise that poverty is widespread and its Welfare Improvement Strategy for 2005-2010 integrates the MDGs. Capacity for monitoring and reporting MDG indicators has however been assessed as either fair or weak; uneven economic policy, high income inequality, widespread injustice and corruption also continue to hamper progress.

One legacy of the Soviet period is more positive; Uzbekistan's children benefit from near universal access to primary and secondary education, boasting almost 100% literacy. However, the National Human Development Report for 2007/08 expresses concern that the education system is geared only to children of average ability, producing high basic literacy but low knowledge relevant to a modern economy.
Health in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s healthcare system remains a challenge and inadequate detection and unreliable reporting are pervasive. Standards and coverage are certainly higher than in the poorest developing countries and child mortality rates are falling steadily towards the MDG targets. However, the Unicef report refers to a “rising trend” in maternal mortality with women’s health impaired by iodine and iron deficiency - in the poorest regions almost 100% of pregnant women are anaemic.

Poverty and squalid living conditions also contribute to a high incidence of tuberculosis cases which increased every year between 1995 and 2004 until a grant from The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria enabled the authorities to gain some control over the situation. The multi-drug resistant variety of the disease is common. Uzbekistan has experienced a higher spread of HIV than its neighbours in Central Asia, a region which itself stands out for failure to match global trends in reducing prevalence. The rate in Uzbekistan is low at 0.3% but there is anxiety that spiralling infection amongst drug users and the prison population could translate into wider prevalence.

Ship stranded in the Aral sea © United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Network

Environmental degradation contributes to the country’s health problems. The diversion of two rivers, Amy Darya and Syr Darya, to support three decades of rapidly expanding cotton production has reduced what was formerly the fourth largest lake of the world, the Aral Sea, to 15% of its original size. Climate change injects a further uncertainty for water management which is a high priority for Uzbekistan.

The ecological and health consequences have been severe particularly in the poorest western provinces. Likewise, poor farming practices, particularly the over utilisation of fertilizers and pesticides, have led to higher salinity, soil degradation and water pollution, all of which are associated with the increase in respiratory system diseases, birth defects and high infant mortality.
The Economy in Uzbekistan

It is difficult to interpret the true condition of the Uzbek economy. The IMF issued an extraordinary statement after a visit in May 2008 lavishing praise on the government for its economic management whilst avoiding a single reference to the welfare of the population. By contrast the International Crisis Group has concluded that “Uzbekistan is well down the path of self-destruction followed by such countries as Burma, Zimbabwe and North Korea, in which an elite prospers while the majority lives in worsening poverty”.

Amongst the former Soviet bloc countries, Uzbekistan has made the least progress in converting from a centrally-managed, planned economy to open markets. The economy rests on two main export commodities – gold and cotton fibre – boosted in recent years by increases in world market prices but both controlled by the state. The non-state economy largely consists of a black market financed by $500 million of remittances from up to 3 million Uzbeks working in poor conditions in Kazakhstan or Russia. Unemployment is estimated at 40%. It is very likely that rising food prices will force significant numbers into the category of extreme poverty.



The OneWorld Uzbekistan Guide was first published in December 2004 with a text written by Volunteer Editor Angelina Karavaeva

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