Uzbek labor migration to the Persian Gulf: the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia (2017–2026)

The Gulf is not the main but a new and emerging destination for Uzbek labor migration. Most Uzbek labor migrants are still in Russia; then Kazakhstan, Türkiye, South Korea and Europe. The Gulf is a new destination being actively built through bilateral agreements. Below, the history and figures are given strictly on the basis of official data (the Migration Agency, Central Bank figures) and international sources.

Why the Gulf? Diversification

In September 2017 a decree by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev put labor migration on an orderly, legal footing; as part of it, the labor ministry held talks with Uzbek ambassadors to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Poland on simplifying the process. The main reason for diversification is over-reliance on Russia: the 2015 oil crisis sharply cut remittances, and the 2022 war in Ukraine, ruble volatility and sanctions accelerated the search for other, higher-income markets. Policy now treats migration not as a 'social safety valve' but as managed, contract-based labor export.

The figures

Organized recruitment — official data: 35,800 people in 2022, 38,400 in 2023, 161,800 in 2024 (more than a fourfold rise). As of August 2026, about 1.4 million Uzbekistanis work abroad in roughly 40 countries: 834,200 in Russia (~60%), 84,400 in Kazakhstan, 72,100 in Türkiye, 46,400 in South Korea, 258,000 in Europe; women number 398,900 (28.6%). The Gulf is still a small share of this total.

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By country

UAE: organized recruitment rose from 18 people in 2023 to 319 in 2024 (official, but a small single-sourced figure). Qatar: received organized recruitment for the first time in 2024. Saudi Arabia: in December 2024 the Migration Agency signed an agreement with a Saudi health company to send mid-level medical staff; Saudi Arabia announced a plan to recruit at least 20,000 workers from Uzbekistan (healthcare, tourism, construction, engineering, caregiving) — this is a plan/target, not a count of workers placed. A 'Takamul' digital contracting platform was planned to launch from January 2026.

In which sectors

Under the agreements, the sectors for Uzbek workers bound for the Gulf are: construction, hotels and tourism, healthcare (mid-level medical and caregiving), engineering, retail and services. Women are directed more to caregiving and hospitality. Note: Gulf-specific sector data is thin — most of it comes from agreement texts, not from measured placement figures.

The kafala system and reforms

In the Gulf, labor rests on the traditional 'kafala' (sponsorship) system: a migrant worker's legal residence and job are tied to a specific sponsor (employer), which historically restricted changing jobs and leaving the country. Recent reforms: the UAE banned charging recruitment fees to workers and removed the requirement for employer permission to change jobs or leave; Qatar allowed changing employers across all sectors and abolished the exit permit; Saudi Arabia began in March 2021 to let workers leave the country without the sponsor's permission. Even so, rights groups note that recruitment fees, wage non-payment and document withholding persist.

Remittance context

Remittances to Uzbekistan reached about $14.8 billion in 2024 (+29.8%), of which Russia's share was ~77%; remittances make up roughly 15% of GDP (2023). In 2024 transfers from Europe and South Korea rose markedly — a sign of diversification. There is no separate reliable figure for remittances from the Gulf to Uzbekistan.

Data gaps

Data on Uzbeks in the Gulf is scarce and imprecise: no official total of Uzbek workers in the UAE or the Gulf has been published (Gulf censuses do not break out Uzbeks separately); the UAE 18→319 figure is official but single-sourced; there is no separate figure for remittances from the Gulf. So this corridor is 'under construction' — agreements and plans are active, but the real numbers are still small and far behind Russia.