REGIONAL DISPARITIES IN SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: A CLUSTER AND INDEX ANALYSIS

This article examines territorial disparities in the development of small businesses based on a comprehensivestatistical analysis. The primary objective of the study is to identify differences in the level of entrepreneurial activity ofsmall businesses at the regional level, as well as to assess them using index and cluster analysis methods. The analysiscovers the period from 2015 to 2024 and is based on official statistical data from the Republic of Uzbekistan. Keyindicators have been selected to characterize the level of small business development, reflecting its share in the grossregional product, employment, and industrial production volume.From a methodological standpoint, the article calculates a composite index of small business development based on thenormalization of indicators, and also conducts a grouping of regions by development levels using cluster analysis. Theresults obtained indicate significant territorial disparities in the development of small businesses between regions. Theresearch findings have practical significance for improving regional economic policy and developing targeted supportmeasures for small businesses.