The social insurance system will be reformed in Uzbekistan

Starting from 2026, an updated social insurance system will be introduced in Uzbekistan. This system aims to comprehensively cover all officially employed citizens with benefits for temporary incapacity for work, pregnancy, and childbirth.

These proposals were approved on October 29 during a special presentation on the sector by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. As a result of these reforms, payments will be made centrally through the Social Protection Fund.

This is considered an important step aimed at addressing issues such as the failure to fully cover private sector employees. Currently, private sector employers view social payments as an additional financial burden, which increases production costs and reduces competitiveness.

As a result, many officially employed citizens are deprived of adequate social protection in difficult life situations. The reform will be implemented in stages.

From 2026, the Social Protection Fund will start assigning and paying benefits for pregnancy and childbirth. In the second half of that year, the system will be expanded, and payments for temporary incapacity for work, i.e., sick leave benefits, will also be covered by the fund.

This initiative is part of a strategy to align state policy with International Labour Organization conventions, particularly the "Minimum Standards of Social Security" and "Maternity Protection" norms. According to these international standards, benefits for sickness and maternity should be provided through social insurance mechanisms.

During the presentation of the reform project, officials highlighted achievements in the fight against poverty in the country. Since 2021, the level of poverty has decreased from 17 percent to 6.8 percent.

At the same time, the share of benefits allocated to the low-income population has decreased from 14 percent to 6.1 percent. The new system is designed not only to consolidate achieved results but also to encourage the legalization of labor relations and provide additional impetus to bring businesses out of the "shadow economy".

While approving the proposed measures, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the need to make the system transparent and efficient. Instructions were given to fully digitalize the social insurance system.

It is planned to introduce an automatic procedure for assigning benefits in the new system. This will reduce bureaucratic processes and provide citizens with timely assistance without unnecessary appeals.

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