TASHKENT, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan's economy expanded by 7.6 percent in the first nine months of this year, the presidential press service said on Monday.

"In January-September of this year, the country's economy grew by 7.6 percent, which significantly exceeds the forecast indicators," the press service said in a statement.

During the same period, the country's gold and foreign exchange reserves grew by 35 percent compared to last year and reached 55 billion U.S. dollars.

"Household incomes increased by 18.4 percent, deposits by 35.3 percent, and average wages by 19.2 percent. Surveys show that confidence among the population and businesses is growing, and opportunities for employment and income growth are expanding," the statement said.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed that maintaining high growth rates until the end of the year and bringing gross domestic product to more than 135 billion dollars is one of the main tasks of the economic complex.

In September, Mirziyoyev announced that Uzbekistan aims to join the ranks of upper-middle-income countries by 2030. ■