Gas imports to Uzbekistan grew by almost 50%, exports fell by a third

Imports rise, exports fall

In January–September 2026, Uzbekistan increased imports of natural and artificial gas, including liquefied gas (propane), by 49.9% — from about $1.07 billion to $1.605 billion. Gazeta.uz reports this citing the National Statistics Committee; Spot.uz notes that the main suppliers are Russia and Turkmenistan. Propane accounted for $152.2 million — 3.8 times more than a year earlier.

September — the peak month for purchases

September was the most expensive month for gas imports since the beginning of the year: $389.2 million versus $206.1 million in August — an increase of almost 1.9 times. This month accounted for about 24.2% of all gas import spending over nine months. The dynamics throughout the year were uneven: after the June peak of $247 million, purchases fell to $38.3 million in July, and in August rose again more than fivefold.

Exports fell by a third

Gas exports over the same period declined by 34.5% — from about $546.4 million to $357.9 million. According to Spot.uz, in January supplies abroad were completely suspended and resumed only in February ($7.1 million); the export peak came in April ($92.7 million), while in September it amounted to $35.6 million. The gap between the value of imports and exports over nine months reached $1.247 billion, compared with about $524.5 million a year earlier; in September alone it was $353.6 million. This indicator reflects the value of foreign trade operations, not the difference in physical volumes.

China is reducing purchases

The General Administration of Customs of China reported gas imports from Uzbekistan of $356.1 million over nine months — 43.9% less than in the same period of 2025 ($634.9 million). The two countries' data almost matched for the nine-month total (a difference of about $1.8 million), but for September they diverge noticeably: Uzbekistan reported exports of $35.6 million to all destinations, while Chinese customs recorded imports from Uzbekistan alone at $50.04 million. According to Chinese statistics, among gas suppliers to China, Russia leads ($7.57 billion since the beginning of the year) followed by Turkmenistan ($6.34 billion), with Myanmar and Kazakhstan next.

Context: production is falling, oil products and electricity

The growth of imports comes against the backdrop of a decline in domestic production: over nine months, the country produced 27 billion cubic meters of gas — 16.4% (5.3 billion cubic meters) less, than a year earlier. At the same time, imports of oil and oil products rose by 6% to $1.56 billion, gasoline by 33.6% to $454 million, while purchases of diesel fuel fell by 19.1% to $189.1 million. In electricity trade, the dynamics are the opposite of gas: exports grew by 26.9% to $145.8 million, imports fell by 25% to $61.8 million, and the positive balance reached $84 million versus $32.5 million a year earlier. It should be noted that the National Statistics Committee significantly revised the 2025 baseline data: the initial estimate of gas imports for January–September of last year ($932.3 million) was raised by almost 15%, which changed the estimated import growth in 2026 from 72.2% to 49.9%.