Starting from 2026, the Social Protection Fund will begin paying benefits for pregnancy and childbirth. From the second half of that year, temporary disability benefits will also be allocated.
This was announced during the presentation reviewed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on October 29. The new system will gradually enable all officially employed citizens to receive benefits from the fund.
Currently, the “From Poverty to Prosperity” program is being implemented in Uzbekistan. Within this program, the poverty rate was reduced from 17% to 6.8% in 2021.
The share of benefits allocated to low-income families in the country has also decreased from 14% to 6.1%. Nevertheless, certain issues still remain.
In particular, not all employees in the private sector are able to receive benefits for maternity, illness, or termination of employment. Employers view these expenses as an additional burden, and the amount of social benefits covered by the budget remains low.
