THE CURRENT STATE OF WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN RURAL AREAS OF UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

Women’s entrepreneurship in rural Uzbekistan has experienced explosive growth since 2017, rising from fewer than 300,000 registered entrepreneurs in 2020 to 2.1 million by the end of 2024. This article presents the first comprehensive, English-language assessment of this phenomenon, focusing on rural women who constitute the majority of new entrants. Drawing on the latest data from UNDP, ILO, World Bank, GEM Consortium, and Uzbekistan’s Agency for Statistics, the analysis reveals that agriculture and household-based production dominate rural women’s ventures (55 % of total activity), while informality remains high (61 %). Despite impressive quantitative gains, structural barriers — limited financial inclusion, heavy unpaid care burdens, and low digital literacy — continue to constrain scalability and sustainability. The article proposes an integrated policy and monitoring framework combining GEM annual surveys, periodic ILO WED assessments, and permanent EDGE gender indicators to transform Uzbekistan’s rural women entrepreneurs from survivalist operators into engines of inclusive growth.