GDP
Main article: GDP of Kazakhstan
Financial system
Main article: Financial system of Kazakhstan
Mining
Most of the fields are controlled by US companies
American business came to Kazakhstan almost immediately after the collapse of the USSR and immediately took up the country's strategic resource - oil. As a result, a production sharing agreement was signed at three giant fields in Western Kazakhstan.
There, companies from USA - Chevron and - ExxonMobil secured control over large shares of fields, especially in Tengiz, where a total of 75% of the shares are owned by the Americans.
The assets of Kazzinc include zinc mines and gold deposits. As of 2025, a 70% share belongs to Glencore.
Following the visit of Kazakh President Tokayev to Washington in 2025, a deal was concluded to transfer a 70% stake in large tungsten deposits in Kazakhstan to American Cove Capital. Now the bowels of the country will help the US military industry feel more confident.
Earlier, Cove Capital already had 75% in the Akbulak field, rich in rare animals.
Oil Production and Export
Main article: Oil production and export in Kazakhstan
Gold mining
2025: $1.2 billion sale of China's Zijin Mining gold deposit
China's largest gold and copper producer in June 2025 agreed to buy the Raigorodok gold mine in Kazakhstan for $1.2 billion, Zijin Mining Group said in a statement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The remaining life of the mine is 16 years, and the average annual gold production is about 5.5 tons.
2024: Gold production up 12% to 132 tonnes
According to the "Analysis of the Gold Market in Kazakhstan," prepared by BusinesStat in April 2025, in 2020-2024 the production of gold of all types in Kazakhstan increased by 12%: from 118 tons to 132 tons.
Kazakhstan has significant gold reserves, ranking tenth in the world. There are about 300 deposits in the country, with almost half of them complex. Despite the general growth, in 2024 there was a stagnation of production caused by a decrease in the content of gold in the extracted ore.[1]
Silver mining
2024: Reduction in silver production by 32% to 707 tonnes
According to the Analysis of the Silver Market in Kazakhstan, prepared by BusinesStat in April 2025, in 2020-2024 its production in Kazakhstan decreased by 32%: from 1035 tons to 707 tons.
There is a gradual depletion of reserves at existing mines in the country, which leads to a decrease in production volumes. There is also a decrease in the silver content of the extracted ores, which makes its extraction less economically feasible. More than 250 silver deposits have been registered in Kazakhstan.[2]
Uranium ore mining
2025: New law requires at least 50% share for Kazakh companies in uranium projects
In January 2026, the Canadian company rudely abandoned uranium exploration in Kazakhstan. The reason is in the new law, which retains control over the fields over the state.
Laramide Resources came to the republic for high-grade uranium. The plans of Canadians were to start drilling on an area of more than five thousand kilometers in the south of Kazakhstan. However, in January, the company announced a decision to terminate the contract with the local Aral Resources due to disappointment and loss of investment attractiveness of uranium projects in the republic.
At the same time, Henderson, who had previously declared "economic advantages," erupted in an angry tirade that Canadians had to face the impossibility of doing business in Kazakhstan due to the new "geopolitical situation."
The reason turned out to be in the amendments to the Republican Land Code adopted before the New Year, according to which the participation of national companies in uranium projects should be at least 50%. Moreover, if uranium deposits are discovered, the priority right to buy out such deposits is transferred to enterprises from Kazakhstan.
Such innovations were so disliked by Canadians from Laramide Resources that they announced the actual "nationalization" of the subsoil by the local government. At the same time, they sarcastically emphasized that Kazakhstanis have no chance to independently cope with intelligence, and by the middle of the century there will be no uranium resources in the country.
2023
2022: World No. 1 in uranium mining with 21,200 tons
Gas production
With an annual production level of 54.5 billion cubic meters in 2021, the production of marketable gas in Kazakhstan amounted to 29.4 billion m3. Internal gas consumption - 18.6 billion m3. Regulation of gas prices leads to a reduction in investment in field development. As in Uzbekistan, in the future this may lead to a shortage of gas and dependence on imports of energy resources.
For 2022, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are striving to comply with sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies against Russia after the start of a special operation in Ukraine, in exchange for investments in the oil and gas sector by multinational corporations.
Chromium, zinc, beryllium, rhenium, tantalum
As of 2023, Kazakhstan has the largest reserves of chromium, which is used in power and industry. The country's reserves are estimated at 230 million metric tons, while global reserves are 570 million metric tons.
Enterprises of Kazakhstan are the largest suppliers of beryllium in the United States (the volume of supplies is 43% of imports) and rhenium (27% of imports). Kazakh suppliers also provide 13% of chromium supplies, 12% of tantalum. All these elements are used in the military, aerospace and oil and gas industries.
Kazakhstan ranks fifth in the world in zinc reserves, and is also among the 20 countries with proven copper reserves. On its territory there are also reserves of cadmium and bauxite.
Oil products
2025: Cost of gasoline - $0.483 per liter
Main article: Petroleum products in the world
Gasoline prices in countries worldwide (liter, US dollar) according to Global Petrol Prices, Octane-95, February 10, 2025:
Iran: $0.029
Libya: $0.031
Venezuela: $0.035
Egypt: $0.337
Algeria: $0.339
Kuwait: $0.340
Kazakhstan: $0.483
Saudi Arabia: $0.621
Russia: $0.629
UAE: $0,716
Indonesia: $0.783
Nigeria: $0.788
UNITED STATES: $0.917
Pakistan: $0.922
Brazil: $0.944
El Salvador: $1,035
Bangladesh: $1,037
Australia: $1,070
China: $1,142
Argentina: $1.148
India: $1.164
South Africa: $1.191
Japan: $1,211
Mexico: $1,243
Canada: $1,273
Turkey: $1,287
South Korea: $1,317
Chile: $1,355
Ukraine: $1,406
Czech Republic: $1,507
Poland: $1.554
Romania: $1.568
Sweden: $1,574
Spain: $1,619
Britain: $1,729
Finland: $1,765
Germany: $1,817
France: $1,827
Ireland: $1,875
Italy: $1,894
Switzerland: $1,938
Norway: $1,958
Monaco: $1,989
Netherlands: $2,037
Denmark: $2,110
Hong Kong: $3.393
The average price of gasoline in the world is $1.25 per liter.
2021: Gasoline price - $0.46 per litre
2018: Low gasoline price
Power
Main article: Power of Kazakhstan
Richest people
Main article: The richest people in the world
2021: The richest 1 % of citizens account for 29% of the country's wealth
Unemployment
2024: Unemployment rate - 4.7%
In 2024, the unemployment rate in Kazakhstan was 4.7%, which corresponds to the indicator of 2023. The number of unemployed is 449 thousand people. This is evidenced by the data of the report of the Bureau of National Statistics, released in April 2025. The total employment rate among the population of 15 years and older in 2024 reached 65%, with 95.3% of the economically active population involved in labor activity. 9.2 million people are officially employed in the country.[3]
2020: Unemployment rate - 7.8%
Incomes of the population
2023: Minimum wage - $131
Information Technology and Telecom
- Communication (Kazakhstan market)
- Development of 5G networks in Kazakhstan
- Internet regulation in Kazakhstan
- Internet of Things, IoT, M2M (Kazakhstan market)
- Smartphones (Kazakhstan market)
- IT market of Kazakhstan
- ICT market of Kazakhstan
- Digital Kazakhstan
- Smart cities in Kazakhstan
- Companies and IT projects in Kazakhstan
Social networks and instant messengers
2024: Three quarters of Kazakhstan's population use social networks
Three-quarters of the population of Kazakhstan use social networks. Such data in August 2024 shared the digital hub Wunder Digital. At the same time, analysts note the annual increase in a unique audience. The trend is due to several factors, among which the main thing is the massive promotion of business in social networks. As a result, many users start several accounts to effectively manage entrepreneurial endeavors and personal activity.
Based on current trends, analysts at Wunder Digital predict an increase in brand investment in social media advertising. Companies recognize that social media has become the main channel for interacting with the target audience, and are ready to invest significant resources in the development of creative and effective advertising campaigns.
TikTok became the most popular platform in Kazakhstan with 14.1 million users and a significant 35.4% increase in audience in 2023 compared to 2022. This platform has the greatest potential for audience growth and brand advertising views thanks to non-standard placement formats that allow you not only to show targeted videos, but also to use "activators" for the brand: hashtag, challenge, TopView, etc.
Instagram (recognized as extremist, banned and blocked in the Russian Federation) ranks second in popularity. In 2023, the audience increased by 15.8% compared to 2022. The bulk of users are people aged 18 to 34. The penetration of the social network among Internet users of 18 + years is 66.5%, which also indicates the widespread use of the platform.
Facebook (recognized as extremist, banned and blocked in the Russian Federation) is showing stable growth, albeit at a slower pace. In 2023, the audience increased by 18.2% compared to the previous one. The core of the audience is made up of users aged 35 to 44 years. The social network is not oversaturated with advertising, which allows brands to be more visible to the target audience, noted in Wunder Digital.
LinkedIn - 1.40 million users. Over the past year, audience growth was 16.7%, which indicates an increasing interest in the platform for networking and career growth. LinkedIn is becoming increasingly popular with professionals looking to build business connections, find new career opportunities and explore relevant news and articles in their industry. The main audience is made up of users aged 25 to 44, which makes the platform attractive to advertisers aimed at an active and solvent audience.
At the same time, some social networks note a loss of interest from users:
- In 2023, the audience of VKontakte decreased by 31.18%, and the audience of Odnoklassniki - by 67.39%. The main age group of VKontakte users remains people from 25 to 34 years old, while Odnoklassniki is more popular among users over 55 years old.
- Snapchat - 1.07 million There is a decline in audience by 23.9% compared to the previous year. Snapchat remains popular with young people and teens who value the platform for its unique features, such as disappearing messages and creative filters. However, the decline in popularity may be due to competition from other social media that offer similar opportunities.
- Twitter (X) - 0.32 million The audience decline was 16.8% compared to the previous year. At the same time, Twitter continues to be a platform for sharing news, discussing current events and participating in global dialogues.
Internet in Kazakhstan
Main article: Internet in Kazakhstan
Data centers in Kazakhstan
Main article: Data center (Kazakhstan market) Commercial data centers
Astronautics
2025: Kazakhstan decommissions one of its two satellites
Kazakhstan plans to decommission the KazSat-2 satellite at the end of 2026, reducing the national satellite communications constellation to one spacecraft. The decision to restructure was made at the state level as part of the optimization of the satellite infrastructure of the republic. Vasily Leonov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Republican Center for Space Communications JSC, announced this on June 27, 2025. Read more here
R&D
Research and development in Kazakhstan
Main article: Research and development in Kazakhstan
MEDIA
- KazAID (Kazakhstan Agency for International Development) is a USAID structure that trains journalists and develops a network of media acting in the interests of the United States
Media created by 2023 to discredit Russia and promote US interests, including through LGBT propaganda:
- Radio Azattyk (Kazakh branch of Radio Liberty)
- "Voice of America"
- AIRAN (Internet Media)
Advertisement
Main article: Advertising (Kazakhstan market)
Bloggers in Kazakhstan
Main article: Bloggers in Kazakhstan
Business in Kazakhstan
2023:4 thousand companies with Russian co-owners opened in Kazakhstan in a year. Their total number exceeded 28 thousand.
The number of companies with Russian participation in Kazakhstan continues to grow. This became known in September 2024. In 2023, about 4 thousand new enterprises with Russian co-owners opened in the republic, as a result of which their total number exceeded 28 thousand.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Alexey Gruzdev noted that the main sectors of cooperation between the countries are the chemical industry, pharmaceuticals and mechanical engineering. Joint ventures are focused not only on the domestic market of Kazakhstan, but also on exports to third countries.
According to a study by the analytical company Halyk Finance, the most significant increase in the number of Russian companies is observed in the field of information technology. Since 2021, the number of IT companies with Russian participation has increased 7 times, reaching 2835 organizations by the end of 2023. The share of Russian business in this segment has become dominant and amounted to 75%.
Significant growth was also noted in the field of consulting and education. The number of Russian consulting firms in Kazakhstan increased 3.4 times, and educational organizations - 3.6 times compared to 2021.
Almost half of companies with Russian participation (9.8 thousand) work in the field of trade, their share in the total number of trading companies in Kazakhstan reached 47%. More than 1,000 Russian companies are registered in the industrial sector, which is 32% of the market share.
The influx of Russian business into commodity sectors such as agriculture and extractive industry characterized as moderate.
At the end of 2023, the total volume of trade between Russia and Kazakhstan exceeded ₽2,6 trillion. At the same time, more than 80% of settlements are carried out in national currencies.
Alexey Gruzdev stressed that the conditions created within the EAEU for the barrier-free movement of goods, capital and specialists contribute to the development of economic cooperation between the countries.[4]
Tourism
2019: International tourism revenues - 4.4% of total exports of goods and services
2018
Transport infrastructure
Logistics routes
Ports
Transport
2023: Growth in air travel to a record 415 thousand flights
In 2023, more than 415 thousand flights were serviced in the airspace of Kazakhstan, of which about 107 thousand Kazakhstani and 308 thousand foreign airlines. This figure is a record for all the years of the country's independence. This was reported by the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of transport the Republic. Kazakhstan
RSE "Kazaeronavigatsiya" under the Ministry of Transport is engaged in the organization of air traffic throughout the Republic of Kazakhstan (2.7 million square kilometers). The total length of controlled air routes is 111 thousand kilometers. The main goal of the enterprise is to ensure the safety of flights in the airspace of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Retail
2024: Retail volume growth by 9.8% to KZT22.4 trillion
At the end of 2024, the volume of retail trade in Kazakhstan amounted to 22.4 trillion tenge (approximately $45.24 billion at the exchange rate as of March 5, 2025), which is 9.8% more compared to 2023. Such data are given in the materials of the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which TAdviser got acquainted with in early March 2025.
Retail in the survey refers to the resale (sale without recycling) of new and used goods to the public for personal consumption, home use or disposal. The volume of sales of goods and services reflects the amount of cash proceeds received for goods sold, products and services rendered for cash and non-cash payments.
Retail sales of goods by trading enterprises in Kazakhstan in 2024 increased by 3.9%, by individual entrepreneurs - by 22%. The turnover from the retail sale of goods by private enterprises was recorded at 20.38 trillion tenge, or $41.07 billion (90.8% of the total retail trade), foreign ownership - 2.07 trillion tenge, or $4.17 billion (9.2%).
The share of food products in the total volume of retail trade in Kazakhstan in 2024 amounted to 32.6%, non-food products - 67.4%. The volume of sales of food products compared to 2023 increased by 9.1%, non-food products - by 10.2%. The largest contribution to the total volume of retail trade of the republic was made by:
- City of Almaty - 33.6%;
- City Astana - 13.2%;
- Karaganda region - 7.5%;
- East Kazakhstan region - 5.7%;
- City Shymkent - 4.7%;
- Aktobe region - 3.4%;
- Pavlodar region - 3.2%;
- Kostanay region - 3.1%;
- Almaty region - 3%;
- City of Abay - 2.8%.[5]
Service sector
Foreign trade
The main articles are:
Industry
Food industry
2025: Kazakhstan set an annual record for the production of ice cream - 63.2 thousand tons (+ 22 %)
In Kazakhstan, record annual figures for the production and export of ice cream were recorded. This is evidenced by the data of the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, published by experts of the Telegram channel Data Hub on January 16, 2026.
The total volume of ice cream production in Kazakhstan for the period from January to December 2025 amounted to 63.2 thousand tons. This figure exceeded the results of 2024 by 22% and is the highest over the past 25 years. The main increase was provided by two key food categories - "Ice Cream" and "Cream Ice Cream." Their combined share in the total output reached almost 80%, which indicates the systemic nature of the growth of the entire industry.
In
In parallel, the export positions of Kazakhstani producers have significantly strengthened. In 2025, the volume of ice cream supplies abroad amounted to 13.6 thousand tons. This result is 39% higher than the previous record level. According to Data Hub experts, in 2024 the export of such products amounted to 9.8 thousand tons. This figure was 70% higher than the result of the same period in 2023 and became a record for the entire time of observations, starting in 2002.
The geography of exports retained a regional orientation, the main sales markets were Russia and Kyrgyzstan, smaller volumes were delivered to Uzbekistan.
At the same time, the volume of imports of similar products to Kazakhstan for 11 months of 2025 decreased by 6%, amounting to 11.8 thousand tons. As a result, the physical volume of exports exceeded the volume of import. The import structure is characterized by a high concentration: according to Data Hub analysts, about 90% of imported ice cream comes from Russia and Kyrgyzstan.[6]
Metallurgy
Increase in copper production by 1.5% to 471 thousand tons
At the end of 2025, the volume of refined copper production in Kazakhstan reached 471 thousand tons. In 2024, the figure was 463.9 thousand tons. Thus, the increase was 1.5% or 7.1 thousand tons. The industry is stabilizing the industry after a period of fluctuations. This is evidenced by the data of the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS) of the ASPiR of Kazakhstan, published in January 2026. The dynamics of copper production reflects both internal processes in the industry and the reaction to global economic trends.[7]
6th in the world in terms of gold production - 130 tons
2025: Growth in industrial production by 7.5% to 9.4 trillion rubles
The volume of industrial production in Kazakhstan in January-December 2025 reached 9.4 trillion rubles, showing an increase of 7.5% compared to the same period in 2024. The data was published on January 15, 2026 by Finmarket, based on information from the national statistics bureau of the strategic planning and reform agency.
The main increase was provided by the mining industry and quarrying, where volumes increased by 9.4%, to 4.13 trillion rubles. This area formed 43.6% of the total result. The manufacturing industry grew by 6.4%, to 4.71 trillion rubles, which amounted to 49.8% of the total. The sector for the supply of electricity, gas, steam and conditioned air showed an increase of 2.1%, to 0.5 trillion rubles. At the same time, according to the statistical department, a decrease of 6.5% was recorded in the areas of water supply and waste management.
According to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), Kazakhstan ranked second in terms of industrial production growth among the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) for the period January-November 2025. With a total increase of 1.2% in the Union, the growth in Kazakhstan was 7.4%. Only the Kyrgyz Republic was ahead of Kazakhstan with a result of 10%.
Experts of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) note that the industrial potential of Kazakhstan is able to generate more than $38 billion annually to the economy. The key contribution is made by metallurgy, chemical and food industries, as well as the production of machinery and equipment. The electrical industry plays an important role. The main market for Kazakh products of deep processing remains the Eurasian region, which accounts for 70% of export supplies.[8][9]
Agriculture
2025: Growth in agricultural production by 6% to 1.5 trillion rubles
In 2025, the volume of agricultural production in Kazakhstan increased by 5.9% and reached 9.8 trillion tenge (approximately 1.5 trillion rubles). These data were published by the Finmarket news agency with reference to the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan on January 15, 2026.
The main driver of the growth of agricultural products was crop production. Its production increased by 7.8%, reaching 5.9 trillion tenge (0.90 trillion rubles). The volume of livestock production increased by 3.3%, exceeding 3.8 trillion tenge (0.58 trillion rubles).
Minister agriculture Aidarbek Saparov called the key achievement of the year a record grain export of 13.5 million tons. According to him, Kazakhstan's agricultural products are supplied to 45 countries of the world and are crucial in stabilizing the domestic market.
Statistics on livestock as of January 1, 2026 also demonstrates positive dynamics. The number of cattle increased by 2.4% to 8.167 million heads, horses - by 5.6% to 4.596 million heads, birds - by 6.9% to 48.62 million heads. The number of sheep increased by 1.6% to 18.841 million heads, goats - by 1.8% to 1.709 million heads. The only exception was a decrease in the number of pigs by 1% to 474.7 thousand heads.
Aidarbek Saparov considers state support measures to be one of the important factors in the growth of agricultural products. At a meeting with the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in November 2025, he noted that the total financing of the agro-industrial complex in 2025 was increased to 1 trillion tenge (about $1.9 billion, or 149 billion rubles).
A quarter of these funds were directed to preferential leasing of agricultural machinery. Direct loans were introduced at 5% per annum to replenish working capital. Thanks to these measures, farmers purchased more than 25 thousand units of new equipment, which reduced the average wear of the park from 90% to 70%.
A separate direction of development was the creation of a single digital platform "e-APK." This system is designed to combine the processes of subsidies, land management, crop production, livestock and fish farming into a single digital circuit with the integration of all state information systems. [10][11][12]
2023: Kazakhstan starts growing bananas in industrial volumes
The Turkish company GenGroup Qazaqstan began growing bananas in the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan. It is the country's first industrial-scale banana production. This was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture of the republic on August 14, 2023. Read more here.
2021: Share of farmland - 80%
2019: Low use of pesticides in agriculture
Mineral fertilizers (Kazakhstan market)
Main article: Mineral fertilizers (Kazakhstan market)
Potato production per capita
1. Belarus - 631.3 kg per 1 person
2. Ukraine - 487.4 kg
3. Netherlands - 384.8 kg
4. Denmark - 343.3 kg
5. Belgium - 299.2 kg
6. Latvia - 251.3 kg
7. Kyrgyzstan - 230 kg
8. Poland - 229.8 kg
9. Russia - 216.8 kg
10. Kazakhstan - 208.5 kg
Equestrian industry
Pharmaceutical Market
At the end of 2020, there was an increase in the market of ready-made medicines both in tenge and in packages.
The market leaders in sales of over-the-counter drugs were Stada, Sanofi-Aventis, Santo, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline.
The market leaders in sales of prescription drugs were Santo, World Medicine, Nobel, Bayer, Abbott.
The lowest and highest price segments saw the highest growth in sales volumes, while the growth in sales of drugs in the middle price category was moderate.
The market growth in tenge was facilitated by the weakening of the tenge exchange rate (more than 80% of drugs on the market are imported), as well as the growth of the state order segment.
Risks are associated with pressure on profitability of sales and a fairly high level of financial debt of distributors.
Alcohol market
Minimum age to purchase alcoholic beverages
Consumption
2023: Beef is the most consumed type of meat
2022
8th in the world in terms of marijuana cheapness: $4.22 per gram
Residents of Kazakhstan turned out to be world leaders in the share of food costs
Kazakhstan turned out to be the leader among European countries in terms of the share of food costs in the family budget of the population, while the least spent on food in Luxembourg. These are the results of the RIA Novosti study, published in December 2022. Read more here.
2019: Beef is the most consumed type of meat
See also
- Economy of Azerbaijan
- Economy of Belarus
- Economy of Bulgaria
- UK economy
- Economy of Greece
- Economy of the European Union
- Economy of India
- Economy of Spain
- China's economy
- Economy of the Netherlands
- Russian economy
- US economy
- Economy of Ukraine
- Economy of France
Notes
- ↑ For 2020-2024, gold production in Kazakhstan increased by 12%: from 118 tons to 132 tons.
- ↑ In 2020-2024, silver production in Kazakhstan decreased by 32%: from 1035 tons to 707 tons.
- ↑ Unemployment rate in Kazakhstan remained at 4.7%
- ↑ 4 thousand joint enterprises with Russia opened in Kazakhstan in 2023
- ↑ On Domestic Trade in the Republic of Kazakhstan (January-December 2024)
- ↑ Kazakhstan sets record for ice cream production in 2025
- ↑ Global demand for copper is growing. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is changing the structure of the reduced export of this metal
- ↑ In 2025, the growth of industrial production in Kazakhstan amounted to 7.5%, agricultural production - 5.9%
- ↑ Kazakhstan became one of the leaders in the growth of industrial production in the EAEU
- ↑ [www.finmarket.ru/database/news/6543773 In 2025, the growth of industrial production in Kazakhstan amounted to 7.5%, agricultural production - 5.9%
- ↑ [1] The volume of gross agricultural products exceeded 9 trillion] tenge
- ↑ Kazakhstan produced products for $6 billion in 10 months of 2025
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