Current state and development trends of the electronic commerce market in the Republic of Uzbekistan

Abstract

Electronic commerce market The Republic of Uzbekistan in 2023-2025 demonstrates an acceleration in turnover against the backdrop of internet saturation and the growth of digital payment habits, while simultaneously tightening regulatory and anti-fraud requirements. According to official statistics on e-commerce trade (internal trade, annual indicator), the turnover increased 1from 13.26 trillion soums in 2023 to 15.21 trillion soums in 2024 (about +14.7% year-on-year). For 2025, the industry regulator’s public communications provide an estimate of approximately 22.7 trillion soums and about 4.6% in total retail (the methodology may differ from the statistical 2 indicator, which is important to consider). In the retail market structure, according to official data, the share of e-commerce remains “unambiguous” and amounted to approximately 3.71% in 2024 1(calculation: 15.21 trillion soums for e-commerce / 410.07 trillion soums for retail). International official reference books also provide comparable indicators: according to "state statistics," the e-3 commerce market in 2024 is estimated at $1.2 billion, or 3.8% of retail. Demand is shaped by almost “universal” access to the internet: the share of the population using the internet, according to a sample survey of households, increased from 89% (2023) to 93.3% (2024) and reached 94.2% in 4January-August 2025. On the infrastructure side, the National Statistics Office also records 30.1 million internet connections as of January 1, 2024 (+12.5% year-on-year) and 34.217 million mobile subscribers as of January 1, 2024, which creates a natural foundation for m-commerce (“phone purchases”). The key structural trend is ecosystems (marketplace + fintech + logistics). An exemplary example is the Uzum digital ecosystem: by the end of 2024, it reveals a GMV of $345 million in the e-commerce segment, an increase in orders to 19 million, nearly 1,000 delivery points and 6approximately 14,000 sellers, as well as a high share of regions in orders (approximately 60%). Regulatory and trust factors are becoming as important as marketing and logistics: at the end of 2023, a set of measures was approved to protect the rights of digital service consumers and combat digital offenses, including anti-fraud circuits and requirements for payment organizations (form and capital). Main practical recommendations: for businesses, build omnichannel (PUDO/self-delivery+delivery), develop trust (returns, transparency), implement anti-fraud and “safe” payment scenarios, as well as master retail media and personalization; for politicians, increase the comparability of e-commerce statistics, accelerate the standardization of logistics and addressing, 6maintain platform competition, and develop financial literacy as a component of demand.