Between 2010 and 2026, the population of Namangan city surged by 65% to reach 728,000 residents, while its population density climbed to 8,289 people per square kilometer. Namangan now ranks first nationwide in both categories. Over those same sixteen years, Uzbekistan’s overall population grew from 28.0 million to 38.2 million. However, urban centers expanded and densified at drastically different rates: some cities saw a population jump of over 60%, while others grew by a mere 12%. Urban density across the country now spans a wide spectrum, ranging from 1,058 to 8,289 people per square kilometer.
Since 2010, the steepest population increases were recorded in Namangan (65%), Termez (64%), Samarkand (52%), Kokand (44%), Fergana (43%), and Tashkent (42%). All six cities outpaced the national average population growth rate, which stood at 37%.
(Data as of January 1, 2026, sourced from the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan).
In contrast, several cities grew at a below-average pace, including Andijan (35%), followed by Karshi, Margilan, and Nukus (29% each). Lagging furthest behind were Bukhara and Angren, which grew by only 14% and 12%, respectively.
It is worth noting that a portion of this urban growth stems from the expansion of municipal boundaries rather than birth rates alone. Namangan is a prime example of this administrative restructuring: in 2016, parts of neighboring districts—home to roughly 96,000 people—were absorbed into the city limits. Later, in 2020, the Davlatabad district was established within the city, incorporating a population of about 140,000. Consequently, Namangan’s 65% boom is largely a product of consolidated borders.
The country’s two most densely populated cities are both located in the Fergana Valley: Namangan leads with 8,289 people per square kilometer, followed closely by Andijan at 7,683. Tashkent ranks third nationwide, with a density of 7,312 people per square kilometer. On the other end of the scale, former industrial hubs remain the most spacious, with Angren recording 1,171 people per square kilometer and Almalyk sitting at just 1,058.
Ultimately, density hinges on a city’s physical footprint just as much as its headcount. Compactly built urban centers naturally produce high-density figures, whereas cities with sprawling layout designs maintain a more dispersed population even with a high number of residents.
The slowest-growing municipalities over this sixteen-year period were Angren, Almalyk, and Bukhara. Interestingly, the statistical data shows no direct correlation between a city's current density and its speed of expansion. Rapidly growing cities can be found among both highly condensed and sparsely populated areas: for example, the incredibly dense Namangan (8,289) and the spacious southern city of Termez (4,424) expanded at almost identical rates, spiking by 65% and 64%.
Growth rates are calculated based on population changes from January 1, 2010, to January 1, 2026. This comparative analysis only evaluates cities that already held municipal status in 2010. Because city limits shifted over this timeframe, a portion of the recorded growth is administrative. Population figures for 2025–2026 are preliminary and subject to adjustment by the statistics agency once the upcoming national census data is finalized.
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