Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Experts from the Institute of Macroeconomic and Regional Research (IMRI) compiled a rating of regions of Uzbekistan based on the ICT development index.

The analysis yielded the following key results:

1) Aggregated ICT development index for Uzbekistan in the period 2015-2022. increased from 5.55 to 6.20.

2) The leading regions (TOP-3) included Tashkent city (index value - 8.92), Navoi (6.78) and Samarkand (6.39) regions.

3) The lowest index value was noted in such regions as Syrdarya (5.39), Surkhandarya (5.13) and Jizzakh (5.10) regions.

The largest increase in the index value was noted in Samarkand region (+1.00), therefore, an increase in the ranking by 3 positions from 6th place in 2015 to 3rd place in 2022. At the same time, the blocks “Access” made the greatest contribution to the development of the region’s index to ICT" (the value increased from 5.72 to 7.3) and "Use of ICT" (from 3.9 to 5.2).

The index consists of 11 indicators divided into three sub-indices: ICT access, ICT use and ICT skills.

“ICT Infrastructure” contains 5 indicators, and “Use of ICT” and “ICT Skills” consist of 3 factors each

To stimulate industry growth and create a modern IT infrastructure that meets global requirements, it is necessary to:

Increase additional funding for digital infrastructure by attracting private capital

Implementation of measures aimed at supporting education and training in the IT field.

Creating a favorable environment for IT innovation and entrepreneurship.

Creating an environment and culture of using licensed digital products and solutions in order to attract large international IT companies and investors to the country’s market.