Why Uzbekistan’s population was higher in the census explained

Earlier, it was reported that according to the preliminary results of the population and agricultural census, Uzbekistan’s population stood at 39,047,321. The National Statistics Committee has explained why the population figure turned out to be higher than current estimates.

According to current statistical estimates, the figure was 38,236,704 as of January 1, 2026. The difference amounted to 810,617 people.

It was reported that this does not mean the population was artificially inflated. On the contrary, the census is a large-scale statistical process aimed at more fully covering the actual population living in the country as of a specific date.

The main reasons for the difference are as follows:

• current estimates are usually maintained based on administrative data on births, deaths and migration;
• internal population movement, changes of residence, temporary stays in other regions, or delays in updating registration data may lead to differences in calculations;
• during the census, information on households, residential premises and address-based facilities was collected directly from the population;
• online census tools, the OneID system, tablets and geolocation data helped expand coverage;
• foreign citizens who have been living in Uzbekistan for more than one year were also included in the census.

According to the committee, international practice also shows that census results naturally differ from current population estimates. For example, the difference between current population figures and census results was +3.15% in Canada, +1.6% in Kazakhstan and +1.12% in Russia. In some countries, however, census results were lower than current estimates: -0.7% in Belarus and -0.2% in Australia.

In Uzbekistan, the difference amounted to +2.1%. This figure is in line with cases observed in international practice and shows that the census process helped further clarify population data.

In many countries, census results are accepted as the main baseline data for population size, composition and territorial distribution in subsequent years.

Earlier, it was reported that Uzbekistan’s population had increased almost tenfold over the past 129 years. It was also reported that 56,860 foreign citizens who had been living in Uzbekistan for more than one year were registered. More than nearly $4.5 million was spent on the census process, with the cost per person amounting to $0.12.