Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Jan. 19 / Trend D. Azizov /
The income level of the Uzbek population increased by 17.5 % in 2012. The minimum wage increased by 26.5 %, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Friday.
He said that the real income per capita increased by 8.6 times compared to 2000 and the average wages are estimated to exceed the cost of consumer basket by more than four times.
The president did not specify the amount of the average wage and the cost of the consumer basket.
"The task has been set to increase wages of employees in budget organizations, pensions, allowances and grants, on average, by at least 23 % in 2013 and real income of the population by at least 1.5 times in 2013 and the next two years," the president said.
He drew attention to the fact that, along with an increase in population's income, their structure is being changed. The share of income from business activity is steadily growing.
Last year, the figure was 51 % or more than half of all income is generated first through entrepreneurship, small and private businesses.
Karimov said that the growth of the population's bank deposits was 34.6 % in 2012 and in general has increased by more than 40 times for the last 10 years.
"It is significant that in 2012, over 20 % of all investments in the country's fell to the population's investments," the president said.
He emphasized that the ratio in income between 10 % of the most and least affluent people in 2012 hit eight times in Uzbekistan. Being one of the lowest rates in the world, this testifies to the effectiveness of social policy to prevent a sharp stratification.
Self-appraisal is a generalizing and index of living standards of people.
Currently, 97 % of families have their own houses, 90 % of the population is provided with all basic kinds of durable goods, every third family has own cars. The families are provided with the consumer products at a proper level.
"According to the surveys, at present about 50 % of our country's population rank themselves as middle class, while in 2000, only about 24 % rank themselves as the middle class," the president said.