Uzbekistan's gas imports rise to $1.6 billion in nine months of 2026

September became the most expensive month for gas purchases since the beginning of the year: $389.2 million compared to $206.1 million in August. It accounted for about 24.2% of all gas import spending across the three quarters. Propane purchases over the nine months grew 3.8 times, to approximately $152.2 million.

Gas exports, on the contrary, fell by 34.5% to $357.9 million compared to approximately $546.4 million a year earlier. There were no shipments abroad in January, and in February they resumed at the level of $7.1 million. The peak occurred in April ($92.7 million), while revenue in September amounted to $35.6 million. According to calculations by Gazeta.uz, gas imports exceeded exports in value terms by $1.247 billion in January–September, whereas a year earlier this gap was around $524.5 million.

The outlet also noted that the National Committee on Statistics revised the base for 2025: gas imports for January–September of last year are now estimated at about $1.07 billion instead of $932.3 million. According to the previous data, the growth would have been 72.2%. The General Administration of Customs of China valued the gas imported from Uzbekistan over the nine months at $356.1 million, which is 43.9% lower than last year's figure.

The increase in purchases comes against the backdrop of a decline in domestic production. According to the National Committee on Statistics, 27 billion cubic metres of natural gas were produced in the country in January–September compared to 32.3 billion a year earlier, representing a 16.4% decrease.