Uzbekistan ranks 71st and Kazakhstan 34th among the world's most powerful countries
World Population Review has published its 2026 list of the 100 most powerful countries. From Central Asia, only Kazakhstan (34) and Uzbekistan (71) made the list. The ranking is based on the perception-based U.S. News “Best Countries” study.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have made World Population Review's 2026 list of the 100 most powerful countries. Uzbekistan took 71st place and Kazakhstan 34th — the only two Central Asian countries on the list.
What the ranking is
The list was published by World Population Review and draws on the “Best Countries” study conducted by U.S. News & World Report together with the BAV Group and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The ranking measures a perception-based “Power” score: economic and political influence, military strength, international alliances and leadership.
The numbers
The ranking is led by China (1), the United States (2) and India (3). They are followed by Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Italy. Russia is placed 11th and Türkiye 21st. Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan did not make the list.
An important caveat
Experts note that perception-based rankings of this kind do not directly measure a country's economic output or military capability, and their results can differ considerably from statistical indicators. Kazakhstan was the only Central Asian country to reach the top half of the list.
