Photo: nova24.uz
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will need more than a century to join the ranks of countries with a high annual per capita income—currently defined as starting at $14,000—according to World Bank analysis on accelerating economic growth in Europe and Central Asia.
The report classifies countries into four income groups:
✅ Low — up to $1,100.
✅ Lower-middle — $1,100 to $1,500.
✅ Upper-middle — $4,500 to $14,000.
✅ High — over $14,000.
Analysts project that Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan will be the first in Central Asia to reach high-income status, in less than 30 years. Roughly 70 years from now, Kyrgyzstan is expected to join them, on a similar timeline to Belarus and Ukraine.
For Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, however, it will take at least 100 years for average incomes to reach the high-income threshold. Azerbaijan is also placed in this long-term category.
The forecast is based on economic growth data from the past decade, including the slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
