According to UNESCO, the contribution of creative industries to the global GDP exceeds 3%, providing over 30 million jobs. The agency includes not only film and fashion, but also architecture, publishing, digital media, crafts, video games, and cultural heritage—everything that transforms ideas into cultural and economic products.
Developed countries have long viewed creativity as a driving force for growth. In the United Kingdom, according to the British Council, one in eight businesses belongs to the creative sector, and the industry's total contribution to the economy exceeds 100 billion pounds sterling per year. South Korea, by betting on the export of K-pop and dramas, has achieved not only global cultural influence but also significant economic impact, effectively combining creativity and technology.
In Uzbekistan, the creative economy is a relatively new but already institutionally established direction. In October 2024, the country's parliament adopted the law "On the Creative Economy," and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the intention to create creative industry parks in every region. Residents of these parks are promised tax benefits, infrastructure, and other forms of state support — in a similar way to how IT Park operates in Uzbekistan.
The law defines creative economy as industries based on creativity and intellectual property: from digital technologies and video game development to design, architecture, and fashion. According to the plan of the Agency for Strategic Reforms, the share of these industries in Uzbekistan's GDP should reach 5% by 2030.
Uzbekistan's creative economy may have export potential, believes economist Yuli Yusupov. "First and foremost, this concerns cultural, ecological, and ethnographic tourism—all of these are very promising directions," he noted in a conversation with HD magazine.
"We are using the potential of modern innovative development at 10% of what we could be using. But that does not mean the creative economy is not taking off. It is taking off, but it is, first and foremost, a digital economy, digital technologies. These are not our achievements—they were not invented by us, we simply take and use them."
IT Park and digital industries indeed remain the main, if not the only, driver of Uzbekistan's creative economy. The park, established in 2019, has over 2,500 registered residents who receive tax and administrative benefits from the state. According to forecasts from the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan, exports of IT services will exceed $1 billion for the first time in 2025 and are projected to grow to $5 billion by 2030.
Outside the IT industry, success stories are less noticeable, but they do exist.
New galleries, festivals, and art spaces are launching in Tashkent and the regions. For instance, the Art Station platform is actively operating in Samarkand, hosting exhibitions, workshops, and artist residencies. Contemporary art is gradually carving out its niche: galleries are opening, artists are participating in international biennales, and curators and art managers are forming a professional community. Interest is returning to previously underrated authors and themes once considered marginal.
The youth exhibition ARTmosfera at the Uzbekistan Fine Arts Gallery showcased works in the genres of painting, sculpture, installation, photo, and video art created over the last two years. In 2025, Uzbekistan will host Art Station Residency 2.0, dedicated to the themes of ecology, intercultural dialogue, inclusion, and female leadership. The country's emerging creative industries are supported by international partners — the United Nations Development Programme, UNESCO, the British Council, and other organizations.
However, lately it has become more difficult to cooperate with foreign partners. "If it's international cooperation, and you need to go somewhere to a Schengen country or the USA, you can plan anything, book venues, arrange with people, with PR, and so on, but all of it can come down to the consul simply not giving you a visa," says the art director of the Human House gallery, Lola Saifi.
Within the country, the creative business also faces plenty of problems.
The most obvious "pain point" is the low quality of human capital. "The school education system itself does not instill creative skills... Without this, neither the development of a creative economy nor sustainable development in general is possible," says Yusupov.
Despite the activity of IT Park, the initiatives of the British Council, and engaging state projects, the creative community is still fragmented, and the connections between education, business, and culture are unstable. "Everyone is on their own. Right now, the market is not at a level to compete. We need to unite and develop the ecosystem," says director Donier Ahmadjonov.
The creative business, on which the state has big plans, is under the unrelenting scrutiny of the state's own bodies. "There are a great many uncertainties, the rules of the game change unpredictably, property rights are poorly protected, and tax and administrative pressure on business is still high," notes Yusupov.
This not only hinders the development of local creative industries but also deters potential investors. Yusupov believes that the prerequisites for attracting investments into the creative economy exist: "the issue is that they are being attracted poorly." To do this, it is necessary to protect property rights as much as possible, including intellectual property, "which is a huge problem for us."
"Poor protection of property rights means high costs and risks for any business, primarily in the creative economy. Because this sector is very sensitive to such issues," says the expert. The creative economy requires a favorable tax environment, where the tax system "does not stifle business but encourages businesses to strive to invest more, including in various innovative products."
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"This entire system of ours is absolutely outdated, killing everything living, increasing the costs and risks of doing business. It is clear that with such a system, we will not be able to develop a creative economy, or an innovative economy in general," Yusupov is confident.
The Art Director of Human House explains that in practice, the state provides no assistance to the creative business whatsoever.“Currently, because I am a creative business, not just a standard business, instead of paying 12% VAT and 15% profit tax, I simply pay 25% on turnover. And that is very difficult,” admits Saifi. “Here, one can appeal to the state—okay, you don’t have to support us, but please, don’t hinder us.”
"If a government organization orders some gifts, we then spend several months begging them for our money. In other organizations, such as the tax inspectorate, you also constantly have to defend and prove your rights," she says.
"You can turn to the state here — okay, you don't have to support it, but please don't get in the way."
A poorly developed system of monetization and copyright protection complicates the legal circulation of intellectual property. Authors and musicians are forced to use closed Telegram channels to sell and protect their content, explains Akhmadzhonov. "Streaming platforms are actively fighting piracy, I believe it's a matter of time — we see how habits are gradually changing," he notes.
Saifi believes that the creative business is quite capable of becoming self-sustaining. "I often say that creative people who want to earn a living from their creativity must study financial literacy and business development technologies, including marketing and team building," she adds.