IT Park Uzbekistan won the Knowledge Zone of the Year – Asia-Pacific category at the Global Free Zones of the Year Awards 2026, organized by fDi Intelligence, a publication of the Financial Times Group.
The awards assess economic zones on their ability to attract businesses and investment. The publication considered 16 knowledge zones worldwide, with Dubai Silicon Oasis in the United Arab Emirates winning the global title.
According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies, IT Park has more than 4,100 resident companies, including over 1,200 with foreign participation. Together, they employ more than 56,000 people. More than 1,100 companies export services to 102 countries, while IT Park companies exported $392.5 million in services in the first half of 2026, an increase of $90.3 million compared with the same period last year.
IT Park statistics for the first half of 2026 show that North America was the largest export market for its resident companies, accounting for 54% of exports. Commonwealth of Independent States countries and other markets accounted for 22%, the European Union and the United Kingdom for 16%, and the Middle East and North Africa for 8%. In 2017, the export network covered just eight countries.
The government has also invested in technology training. According to official figures, 1.7 million young people have participated in the One Million Uzbek Coders program, while 1.3 million have taken part in Five Million AI Leaders, an initiative focused on artificial intelligence (AI).
More than 18 billion Uzbek soums (approximately $1.5 million) have been allocated to reimburse expenses for international information technology certification and training, benefiting 4,926 young professionals. Another 3.17 billion soums (approximately $263,000) was provided to educational institutions through the IT Talents program for training graduates who secured jobs with companies exporting digital services.
In late 2025, the government launched the AI initiative, which provides free online courses. Universities are also establishing AI laboratories, with 20 currently operating.
Other initiatives support young people and women in technology, including the ICT4Girls programming competition and startup incubators.
Based on its Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, StartupBlink named Uzbekistan Country of the Year and identified it as the world’s fastest-growing startup ecosystem. Its score in the ranking increased by 227.3% over the previous year, reflecting improvements in measures such as startup activity and the business environment rather than growth in employment or revenue. The country climbed 31 places over two years to rank 79th globally, while Tashkent placed 229th among cities.
Analytics platform Dealroom estimated the combined value of the country’s venture-backed startups at $4.3 billion.
What remains unclear is how many participants in the government’s training programs go on to find work in the technology sector. The 56,000 people employed by IT Park companies represent only part of the industry, while the training initiatives cover different levels of education and skills. The ministry’s announcement offers no overall figures on participants’ subsequent employment or earnings, making it difficult to assess the impact of these large-scale programs.
