Ethnic Kazakhs derive from a mix of Turkic nomadic tribes that migrated to the region in the 15th century. The Kazakh steppe was conquered by the Russian Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1925. Repression and starvation caused by forced agricultural collectivization led to more than a million deaths in the early 1930s. During the 1950s and 1960s, the agricultural “Virgin Lands” program led to an influx of settlers (mostly ethnic Russians, but also other nationalities) and at the time of Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991, ethnic Kazakhs were a minority. Non-Muslim ethnic minorities departed Kazakhstan in large numbers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s and a national program has repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs (from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, and the Xinjiang region of China) back to Kazakhstan. As a result of this shift, the ethnic Kazakh share of the population now exceeds two-thirds.
Kazakhstan’s economy is the largest in Central Asia, mainly due to the country’s vast natural resources. Current issues include: diversifying the economy, attracting foreign direct investment, enhancing Kazakhstan’s economic competitiveness, and strengthening economic relations with neighboring states and foreign powers.
land: 2,699,700 sq km
water: 25,200 sq km
border countries (5): China 1,765 km; Kyrgyzstan 1,212 km; Russia 7,644 km; Turkmenistan 413 km; Uzbekistan 2,330 km
lowest point: Qauyndy Oyysy -132 m
mean elevation: 387 m
arable land: 8.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 68.5% (2018 est.)
forest: 1.2% (2018 est.)
other: 21.4% (2018 est.)
salt water lake(s): Caspian Sea (shared with Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Russia) - 374,000 sq km; Aral Sea (north) - 3,300 sq km; Ozero Alakol - 2,650 sq km; Ozero Teniz 1,590 sq km; Ozero Seletytenzi - 780 sq km; Ozero Sasykkol - 740 sq km
19,543,464 (2023 est.)
noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani
Kazakh (Qazaq) 69.6%, Russian 17.9%, Uzbek 3.3%, Uyghur 1.5%, Ukrainian 1.3%, Tatar 1%, other 5.3% (2022 est.)
Kazakh (official, Qazaq) 83.1% (understand spoken language) and trilingual (Kazakh, Russian, English) 22.3% (2017 est.); Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the “language of interethnic communication”) 94.4% (understand spoken language) (2009 est.)
major-language sample(s):
Әлемдік деректер кітабы, негізгі ақпараттың таптырмайтын көзі. (Kazakh)
Книга фактов о мире – незаменимый источник базовой информации. (Russian)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Muslim 70.2%, Christian 26.2% (mainly Russian Orthodox), other 0.2%, atheist 2.8%, unspecified 0.5% (2009 est.)
Nearly 40% of Kazakhstan’s population is under the age of 25. Like many former Soviet states, Kazakhstan’s total fertility rate (TFR) – the average number of births per woman – decreased after independence amidst economic problems and fell below replacement level, 2.1. However, in the late 2000s, as the economy improved and incomes rose, Kazakhstan experienced a small baby boom and TFR reached 2.5. TFR has since fallen and is now just over 2.1. Mortality rates are also decreasing and life expectancy is rising, signs that Kazakhstan’s demographic transition is progressing.Kazakhstan has a diverse population consisting of Asian ethnic groups (predominantly Kazakhs, as well as Uzbeks, Uighurs, and Tatars) and ethnic Europeans (mainly Russians but also Ukrainians and Germans). Approximately two thirds of Kazakhstan’s population today is Kazakh. During the mid-20th century, as Kazakhstan industrialized, waves of ethnic Russians and deportees from other parts of the Soviet Union arrived. Eventually, the ethnic Russian population outnumbered the Kazakhs. In the 1990s, following Kazakhstan’s independence, Russian and other ethnic Europeans began emigrating, while some ethnic Kazakhs (referred to as Oralmans) returned to their homeland from neighboring countries, China, and Mongolia. As a result, the country’s ethnic make-up changed, and a Kazakh majority was reestablished.In recent years, Kazakhstan has shifted from being mainly a migrant-sending country to a migrant-receiving country. Due to its oil-driven economic boom, Kazakhstan has become a more popular destination. The country needs highly skilled workers in the industrial, business, and education sectors and low-skilled labor in agriculture, markets, services, and construction. Kazakhstan is increasingly reliant on migrant workers, primarily from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, to fill its labor shortage. At the same time, highly skilled Kazakhs continue to emigrate, mostly to Russia, seeking higher salaries or further education.
0-14 years: 25.26% (male 2386022/female 2,551,575)
15-64 years: 65.29% (male 6,226,792/female 6,533,887)
65 years and over: 9.44% (2023 est.) (male 660,397/female 1,184,791)
total dependency ratio: 60
youth dependency ratio: 47.2
elderly dependency ratio: 12.7
potential support ratio: 7.9 (2021 est.)
total: 31.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 29.9 years
female: 33.5 years
0.9% (2023 est.)
17.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
most of the country displays a low population density, particularly the interior; population clusters appear in urban agglomerations in the far northern and southern portions of the country
urban population: 58.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.987 million Almaty, 1.291 million NUR-SULTAN (capital), 1.155 million Shimkent (2023)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.56 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
28.9 years (2019 est.)
13 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 9.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.1 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 73 years (2023 est.)
male: 68.7 years
female: 77.7 years
2.59 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1.25 (2023 est.)
53% (2018)
note: percent of women aged 18-49
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 93.8% of population
total: 97.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 6.2% of population
total: 2.6% of population (2020 est.)
3.8% of GDP (2020)
3.98 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
6.1 beds/1,000 population (2014)
improved: urban: 99.9% of population
rural: 99.9% of population
total: 99.9% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population
rural: 0.1% of population
total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
21% (2016)
total: 3.73 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 2.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 1.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 23.2% (2020 est.)
male: 39.6% (2020 est.)
female: 6.7% (2020 est.)
2% (2015)
61.8% (2023 est.)
4.5% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.7% (2018)
total: 16 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2020)
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers that flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; desertification; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
agricultural land: 77.4% (2018 est.)
arable land: 8.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 68.5% (2018 est.)
forest: 1.2% (2018 est.)
other: 21.4% (2018 est.)
urban population: 58.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
0.99% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 26.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 247.21 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 45.03 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 4,659,740 tons (2012 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 136,064 tons (2012 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 2.9% (2012 est.)
fresh water lake(s): Ozero Balkhash - 22,000 sq km; Ozero Zaysan - 1,800 sq km
salt water lake(s): Caspian Sea (shared with Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Russia) - 374,000 sq km; Aral Sea (north) - 3,300 sq km; Ozero Alakol - 2,650 sq km; Ozero Teniz 1,590 sq km; Ozero Seletytenzi - 780 sq km; Ozero Sasykkol - 740 sq km
Syr Darya river mouth (shared with Kyrgyzstan [s], Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan) - 3,078 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km), Amu Darya (534,739 sq km), Syr Darya (782,617 sq km), Lake Balkash (510,015 sq km)
municipal: 4.62 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 4.54 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 15.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
108.41 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
oil and gas giant, with growing international investment; domestic economy hit hard by COVID-19 disruptions; reforming civil society and improving business confidence; legacy state controls and Russian influence inhibit growth and autonomy
$496.126 billion (2021 est.)
$475.672 billion (2020 est.)
$487.869 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
4.3% (2021 est.)
-2.5% (2020 est.)
4.5% (2019 est.)
$26,100 (2021 est.)
$25,400 (2020 est.)
$26,400 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$181.194 billion (2019 est.)
6.75% (2020 est.)
5.25% (2019 est.)
6.02% (2018 est.)
Fitch rating: BBB (2016)
Moody’s rating: Baa3 (2016)
Standard & Poors rating: BBB- (2016)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 4.7% (2017 est.)
industry: 34.1% (2017 est.)
services: 61.2% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 53.2% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 11.1% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 22.5% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 4.8% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 35.4% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -27.1% (2017 est.)
wheat, milk, potatoes, barley, watermelons, melons, linseed, onions, maize, sunflower seed
oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, uranium, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials
5.1% (2021 est.)
9.248 million (2021 est.)
4.9% (2021 est.)
4.89% (2020 est.)
4.8% (2019 est.)
total: 3.7% (2021 est.)
male: 3.3%
female: 4.3%
4.3% (2018 est.)
27.8 (2018 est.)
on food: 44.9% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 1.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 4.2%
highest 10%: 23.3% (2016)
revenues: $29.955 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $41.994 billion (2020 est.)
-1.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
26.63% of GDP (2020 est.)
18.48% of GDP (2019 est.)
21.99% of GDP (2018 est.)
8.32% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$7.862 billion (2021 est.)
-$7.59 billion (2020 est.)
-$8.282 billion (2019 est.)
$66.132 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$52.355 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$65.919 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
China 13%, Italy 12%, Russia 10%, Netherlands 7%, France 6%, South Korea 5% (2019)
crude petroleum, gold, copper, iron alloys, natural gas (2021)
$49.196 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$46.218 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$52.539 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Russia 34%, China 24% (2019)
packaged medicines, natural gas, cars, broadcasting equipment, aircraft (2019)
$34.378 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$35.638 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$28.958 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$159.351 billion (2019 est.)
$163.73 billion (2018 est.)
tenge (KZT) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
425.908 (2021 est.)
412.953 (2020 est.)
382.747 (2019 est.)
344.706 (2018 est.)
326.001 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 25.022 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 92,133,960,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 2.419 billion kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 1.935 billion kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 9.689 billion kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 88.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 10.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Number of operational nuclear reactors: 0
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 0
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 0GW
Percent of total electricity production: 0%
Percent of total energy produced: 0%
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 1
production: 102.338 million metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 74.819 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 3.002 million metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 993,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 25.605 billion metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 1,864,900 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 320,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 1,531,600 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 500 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 30 billion barrels (2021 est.)
290,700 bbl/day (2015 est.)
105,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)
39,120 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 25.786 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
consumption: 14.557 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 16.418 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
imports: 7.714 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 2.407 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)
263.689 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 195.926 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 39.205 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 28.557 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
180.726 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 12 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 84
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 7,143,797 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 50.22 million (2018) mt-km
UP
96 (2021)
63
civil airports: 18
military airports: 5
joint use (civil-military) airports: 2
other airports: 38
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
33
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
3 (2021)
658 km condensate, 15,429 km gas (2020), 8,020 km oil (2020), 1,095 km refined products, 1,975 km water (2017) (2020)
total: 16,636 km (2021)
broad gauge: 16,636 km (2021) 1.520-m gauge (4,237 km electrified)
total: 96,167 km (2021)
paved: 83,813 km (2021)
unpaved: 12,354 km (2021)
43,983 km (2020) (on the Ertis (Irtysh) River (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) River)
total: 120 (2022)
by type: general cargo 3, oil tanker 7, other 110
major seaport(s): Caspian Sea - Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur’yev)
river port(s): Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk) (Irtysh River)
manyapis