Evaluating the Economic Efficiency of Public-Private Partnership Projects in Uzbekistan

Public-private partnerships have expanded at a remarkable pace in Uzbekistan, yet rigorous assessments of their economic returns remain scarce. We examine PPP efficiency across energy, utilities, and social sectors using internal rate of return, net present value ratio, payback period, and value-for-money savings. Project-level data from the PPP Development Agency and World Bank benchmarking reports for 2017–2024 form the empirical basis. Energy-sector PPPs deliver the strongest financial performance (IRR 14.2%, VfM savings 18.5%), while social-sector projects lag financially but generate substantial employment. Uzbekistan’s World Bank PPP preparation score of just 24 out of 100 points to a systemic bottleneck that undermines returns across all sectors. Improving preparation-stage processes and expanding PPP activity beyond energy appear to be the two most pressing priorities for raising portfolio-wide efficiency.