WARSAW, October 2. /Dunyo IA/.   An article by Kazimierz Bilanow, Executive Director of the IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence, has been published on the platform of the Polish Press Agency’s “PAP MediaRoom” under the headline “Uzbekistan is aiming for a civilizational leap”, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Publication notes that Uzbekistan has embarked on an ambitious path of economic, social, and institutional modernization, drawing parallels with Poland’s successful transformation experience. It emphasizes that during a conference at the University of Warsaw dedicated to the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski highlighted the country’s processes of renewal and opening up to the world.

Article states that Uzbekistan’s real GDP grew by 7.7 percent in 2025, while growth reached 8.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026. It also highlights the country’s rich resource potential, the development of tourism, including the launch of direct LOT flights between Warsaw and Tashkent, as well as the adoption of a declaration on strategic partnership at the European Union–Central Asia Summit in Samarkand.

Particular emphasis is placed on human capital, including the country’s rapidly growing population of more than 37 million, with an average age of around 29.5 years. The publication highlights the expansion of higher education, including an increase in the number of higher education institutions from 77 in 2017 to more than 200, a rise in the share of young people enrolled in higher education from 9 percent to 42 percent, and an increase in the number of students to more than 1.5 million.

Article concludes that academic cooperation, strengthened through the 3rd Poland–Uzbekistan Rectors’ Forum, “Central Asia–European Union” Rectors’ Congress and projects implemented by the “Perspektywy” Foundation, is creating a solid foundation for long-term Uzbekistan–Poland partnership.