THE IMPACT OF TRANSPORT CORRIDOR DIVERSIFICATION ON UZBEKISTAN'S EXPORT COMPETITIVENESS AND FOREIGN TRADE RESILIENCE

Abstract

The article assesses how the diversification of transport corridors affects the export competitiveness and foreign trade resilience of Uzbekistan, a doubly landlocked economy. Using official trade statistics for 2025–2026, corridor-level freight data and elasticities from the trade-cost literature, the study decomposes exports by their exposure to overland logistics and evaluates four corridor directions: northern, trans-Caspian, eastern and southern. Only about 42% of 2025 exports were goods other than gold, yet this segment carries the country's diversification agenda. The share of the Middle Corridor in Uzbekistan–EU freight rose from 12% to 28% between 2021 and 2025, and in early 2026 exports excluding gold grew by roughly a third while total exports fell. The findings suggest that corridor diversification strengthens resilience, whereas competitiveness gains depend on logistics reliability, cargo balance and export-oriented transport policy