Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Experts from the Institute for Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research have calculated the Index of Cooperation between Central Asian countries.

Based on the results of the analysis, it was revealed that the value of the Index for 2017-2021 increased 1.3 times from 28% to 38%.

The index is calculated on such indicators as trade turnover, investment flows, trade value, tourist and migration flows.

1. The greatest contribution to the growth of the index value was made by the increase in mutual investments by the countries of the region in each other’s economies. Thus, the share of investment flows (inflow and outflow) between the countries of the region in the total volume of investment flows of countries increased by 5.6 times.

2. The second most important indicator of growth is the increase in the volume of trade between the countries of the region. The share of intra-regional trade in the total trade turnover of the countries increased 1.5 times.

3. The cost of trade between the Central Asian countries is on average 4 times lower than with other trading partners. This is explained by the fact that the Central Asian region is pursuing an active policy for the development of transport infrastructure within the region.

4. Today, more than 80% of citizens of the Central Asian countries leaving the country for tourism purposes prefer intra-regional tourism. In this regard, within the framework of the Central Asia Cooperation Index, the share of intra-regional tourism in total tourist flows is 83%.

5. Considering the migration flows between the CA countries, it can be noted that only 15.3% of people entering the CA countries for the purpose of living and working are citizens of these countries. For residents of the Central Asian countries, the region is not a priority when choosing a country of residence or looking for a job.

For reference: The index is based on the principle that intra-regional cooperation is estimated as the share of mutual processes between the countries of the region in their overall processes. For example, what share of the trade turnover between the countries of the region is in the total trade turnover of these countries.