Uzbekistan preparing for first census in 36 years based on Azerbaijan's experience - EXCLUSIVE

Uzbekistan has actively relied on Azerbaijan"s experience in preparing for its upcoming population census, Chairman of Uzbekistan"s National Committee on Statistics, Behzod Khamrayev, told Report on the sidelines of the 3rd CIS International Statistical Forum in Baku.

According to him, close and productive relations have been established between the statistical agencies of the two countries.

"We have an agreement signed back in 1998, under which we maintain close cooperation in several areas. The first area is the population census. In January next year, Uzbekistan plans to conduct its first census in 36 years. We have thoroughly studied Azerbaijan"s experience, exchanged practices multiple times. Colleagues from Azerbaijan"s State Statistics Committee provided us with significant support in organizing the census, preparing questionnaires, and developing methodology. This cooperation has been very fruitful," Khamrayev noted.

He added that the second area of cooperation relates to strategies and programs for statistical development.

"Azerbaijan has implemented about 5–6 programs in this field. In Uzbekistan, the first strategy for statistical development was prepared in 2019. In drafting it, we actively studied and applied the experience of our Azerbaijani colleagues," he said.

As the third area, the head of the committee highlighted the optimization of statistical reporting, including sample surveys and the introduction of modern information technologies. "Azerbaijan has advanced practices that it shares with us, and we highly value this exchange of experience," Khamrayev said.

He also recalled that Uzbekistan, together with the World Bank (WB), is preparing a new national strategy for statistical development for 2026–2030.

"We are working with WB experts from the Washington office and plan to prepare a draft document by the end of this year. At the same time, we remain open to cooperation with Azerbaijan and are ready to share our experience in developing the new strategy," Khamrayev emphasized.