Surkhandarya Region

With an administrative centre in Termez and a population — 2.7 million, Surkhandarya Region occupies an area of 20 000 km2, and its border with Afghanistan runs along the Amu Darya River for 144 km. The entire border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan runs along the river, supported by a security barrier. The Hairatan-Termez border crossing provides rail and road connections, and the Free Economic Zone and the Training Centre in Termez for Afghan students have been operating here since 2018.

About 70 per cent of the Surkhandarya population lives in rural areas, with a poverty rate of 15 per cent. By gross regional product per capita, the province ranks the lowest out of Uzbekistan’s 14 regions. The region produces 10 per cent of the country’s fruit and vegetables, cotton and grain.

In the cold winter of 2023, the population of Surkhandarya faced shortages of natural gas and electricity. To solve this problem, in 2022–2023, the Uzbek Government launched the construction of a 1 550 MW thermal power plant in Angor and 450 MW solar power plant in Sherabad. These plants, once operational (tentatively in 2025), are expected to provide electricity to 500 000 households in the Surkhandarya province and export 3–4 billion kWh of electricity to Afghanistan.

Half of the population of Surkhandarya has no access to drinking water. In 2021, construction began on a 361 km main water pipeline from the Tupalang reservoir with a capacity of 200 000 m3 per day; once operational, it will supply drinking water to the southern districts of this province.

Population of Uzbekistan

36 million people

2.7 million