TASHKENT, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's economy grew 5.7% year-on-year in 2022, official figures showed on Monday.

Industrial production expanded 5.2% in the country last year, while services grew 15.9% and construction rose 6.6%, as they were followed by agriculture-forestry-fishery by 3.6%, freight transportation by 0.5%, and passenger transportation by 5%.

Retail sales were up by 12.3% in the Central Asian country last year annually.

Uzbekistan's total foreign trade volume increased 18.6% in 2022 compared to the previous year, the export volume rose 15.9% and the import volume grew 20.4%.

Its economy, which grew an average of 5-6% annually before the COVID-19 pandemic, recorded a growth of 1.6% in 2020 and 7% in 2021.

The country's annual inflation was 12.3% last year.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun from Istanbul