Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbekistan ranked 103rd among 184 countries in the world in the Heritage Foundation’s 2024 Index of Economic Freedom. Compared to the previous year, Uzbekistan rose by 6 positions.

Among the CIS countries, Uzbekistan took 5th place with an index of 55.9 (a decrease of 0.6 points compared to the previous year).

In 2023, Uzbekistan was higher than 61% of the countries in the index, and in 2024 this figure dropped to 55%.

In Uzbekistan, positive changes were recorded in 6 out of 12 indicators, negative changes in 4 and no changes in 3.

Positive changes were seen in property rights (+2 points), judicial efficiency (+2.3 points), and state integrity (+4.2 points).

However, negative changes were noted in government spending (-4.5 points), fiscal freedom (-13.2 points) and free trade (-0.6 points).

According to the Economic Freedom Index, Uzbekistan lags behind the global and regional averages, ranking among the “mostly unfree” countries.

Uzbekistan continues to implement important reforms aimed at creating a competitive market economy, strengthening economic freedom and moving towards openness and modernization.

Despite progress, institutional and legal shortcomings continue to limit economic freedom. The overall regulatory framework needs greater transparency and clarity, and the informal sector continues to experience employment and inflationary pressures.

At the same time, positive changes are becoming more noticeable: the process of starting a business is becoming easier, the modern labor market is developing, and monetary policy and financial stability remain at relatively good levels.