The key facts

  • In January–September 2026, 123.4 thousand deaths were registered — 8.8 thousand (almost 6.7%) fewer than a year earlier
  • This is the lowest figure among comparable periods of the last five years
  • 638.6 thousand children were born — 26 thousand fewer than in the same period of 2025; the natural increase amounted to 515.2 thousand people

Mortality fell to a five-year low

The National Statistics Committee on October 27 published data on the demographic situation in Uzbekistan for January–September 2026. During this period, 123.4 thousand deaths were registered — 8.8 thousand fewer, or almost 6.7% less, than in the first nine months of 2025, when 132.2 thousand people died. The mortality rate stood at 4.2 per mille. This was reported by Zamon.uz in Uzbek and Russian, citing the committee's report.

Five-year dynamics and the structure of mortality

This year's figure was the lowest among comparable periods of the last five years: in January–September 2022, 130.2 thousand people died; in 2023 — 129.7 thousand; in 2024 — 131.7 thousand; in 2025 — 132.2 thousand; and in 2026 — 123.4 thousand. Thus, the 2026 decline broke the upward trend in the number of deaths observed since 2023.

Who died and where

Of the deceased, 68.5 thousand (55.5%) were men and 54.9 thousand (44.5%) were women; deaths among men exceeded those among women by 13.6 thousand. By place of residence, 65.7 thousand of the deceased (53.2%) lived in urban areas and 57.7 thousand (46.8%) in rural areas.

Births declined as well

At the same time, the birth rate also fell: over the nine months of 2026, 638.6 thousand children were born alive — 26 thousand fewer than in the same period of 2025. Due to the difference between births and deaths, the natural population increase amounted to 515.2 thousand people. In other words, the decline in mortality is occurring against the backdrop of a declining birth rate — both indicators fell relative to last year, which determined the final increase.