| variable | 1990-1999 | 2000-2007 | 2008-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| real gdp growth | -2.15 | 9.35 | 4.25 | 3.45 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| CPI % | 415.74 | 8.98 | 7.2 | 7.29 | 14.5 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 11.99 | 8.36 | 6.15 | 5.06 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Debt/GDP % | - | 9.96 | 10.45 | 17.75 | 23.0 | 24.4 | 24.6 | 24.9 | 26.3 |
| Current account balance/GDP % | -9.0 | -1.81 | 0.85 | -1.48 | -3.6 | -2.7 | -3.9 | -1.0 | -2.0 |
Data derived from World Economic Outlook Database. To see main macroeconomic indicator in graphs click here
Ethnic Kazakhs derive from a mix of Turkic nomadic tribes that migrated to the region in the 15th century. The Russian Empire conquered the Kazakh steppe in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1925. Forced agricultural collectivization led to repression and starvation, resulting in more than a million deaths in the early 1930s. During the 1950s and 1960s, the agricultural "Virgin Lands" program generated an influx of settlers -- mostly ethnic Russians, but also other nationalities -- and by the time of Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991, ethnic Kazakhs were a minority. However, 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) 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.
Area: 2,724,900 sq km km2
Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Groups: Kazakh 71%, Russian 14.9%, Uzbek 3.3%, Ukrainian 1.9%, Uyghurs 1.5%, German 1.1%, Tatar 1.1%, other 4.9%, unspecified 0.3% (2023 est.)
Languages: Kazakh (official, Qazaq) 80.1%, Russian 83.7%, English 35.1% (2021 est.)
Religions: Muslim 69.3%, Christian 17.2% (Orthodox 17%, other 0.2%), Buddhism 0.1%, other 0.1%, non-believers 2.3%, unspecified 11% (2021 est.)
Capital: Astana
Government type: presidential republic
Chief of state: President Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV (since 20 March 2019)
Head of government: Prime Minister Olzhas BEKTENOV (since 6 February 2024)
Description: Parliament (Parlament) - bicameral
upper-middle-income Central Asian economy; robust growth due to rising oil production, expansion in manufacturing and services, rising domestic demand, and infrastructure investments; however, rapid growth contributing to high inflation rate; declining unemployment and poverty rates
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
GDP by sector: Agriculture: 3.9% (2024 est.), Industry: 31.4% (2024 est.), Services: 58.2% (2024 est.)
Export partners: China 16%, UK 15%, Russia 10%, Turkey 6%, Italy 5% (2023)
Export commodities: crude petroleum, gold, radioactive chemicals, refined copper, copper ore (2023)
Import partners: China 28%, Russia 24%, Gambia, The 4%, Turkey 4%, USA 4% (2023)
Import commodities: garments, cars, broadcasting equipment, vehicle bodies, packaged medicine (2023)
Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Oral) River in easternmost Europe
Military expenditure: 2024: 0.9% of GDP (2024 est.)
Information derived from worldfactbook.io (Lupon Media), open successor to the CIA World Factbook. Data sourced from World Bank, IMF, UN and other international organizations.