Economy of Kazakhstan

GDP

2022

GDP growth of 3.1%

Growth GDP Kazakhstan in 2022 reached 3.1%, said the Minister of National Economy of the Republic Alibek Kuantyrov at a government meeting on January 11, 2023.

According to the official, despite external negative factors, by the end of 2022, the economy of Kazakhstan achieved steady growth, while growth in the real sector amounted to 3.2%, in the service sector - 2.5%. He also noted a 7.8% increase in investments in fixed assets.

Kuantyrov cited data on the main sectors of the economy of Kazakhstan: investments in real estate operations in 2022 increased by 15.4%, in agriculture - by 6.9%, in transport and warehousing - by 5.5%, in industry - by 5.6%, including in the mining industry - by 14.2%.

The minister emphasized the growth rate of production in mechanical engineering by 9.4%, including in the automotive industry - by 19.1% and the production of electrical equipment - by 22.2%.

In addition, production growth was recorded in the following industries: food - by 3.9%, oil refining - by 1.9%, chemical products - by 10.2%, drinks - by 11.2%, plastic products - by 2.1%, light industry - by 6%, - he said.

In the regional context, the best indicators are noted in Kyzylorda, Zhetysu, Mangistau and Almaty regions, as well as in the cities of Shymkent and Astana.^[1]

Simultaneously with the growth, there is a decrease in some indicators:

• in the mining industry, output decreased by 1%;
• in the extraction of coal and metal ores, a decrease of 0.7%;
• 1% reduction in gas production;
• oil - by 1.9%;
• other minerals - by 7.6%.

GDP size forecast - $0.19 trillion

2021:4% growth, leadership in economic growth after the collapse of the USSR

GDP Kazakhstan at the end of 2021, it grew by 4% compared to 2020. This was announced on February 8, 2022 by the President of the Republic Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at an expanded meeting. governments

According to him, the authorities expected the growth of the Kazakh economy by 3.7-4% at the end of 2021. In 2022, it expects its rise by 4%, said Prime Minister of the Republic Alikhan Smailov.

In 2021, the volume of foreign trade in Kazakhstan reached $82.2 billion, which exceeds the same figure in 2020 by 14.1%. Exports grew by 23.5%, reaching $49.1 billion. The positive balance of Kazakhstan amounted to $16 billion. The volume of exports of processed goods increased by more than 24%.

According to the World Bank, released in 2021, Kazakhstan ranks tenth in the world in terms of the share of non-renewable natural capital (oil, gas, metals, minerals) in the country's total wealth - about 27% (for comparison, Russia has a share of resource wealth about twice as low - from this point of view, the Russian economy is more diversified).

The factors that restrain the investment growth of the Kazakh economy include a high level of corruption, imperfection and weak independence of the judicial system, the Russian Export Center states. After Nursultan Nazarbayev left the post of President of Kazakhstan, the Supreme Council for Reforms was formed in the country, but ambitious transformations did not work out during this time.

Shortly before the New Year, the minimum wage in Kazakhstan (converted into dollars) was less than $100 per month - this is even less than in Kenya or Pakistan, said Charlie Robertson, global chief economist at Renaissance Capital. The minimum wage in the country has not increased since 2018, and its increase from January 1, 2022 by 41% (to about $137) seems like a belated decision, he argues.^[2]

2020: 2.6% decline

GDP Kazakhstan at the end of 2020, it decreased by 2.6%. The decline was less than Russia in - the Russian economy fell by 3.1% (data). Rosstat

According to the Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Ruslan Dalenov, in 2020 the growth of the real sector became an economic driver, amounting to 2%. For the services sector, the year ended with a minus of 5.6%, although in recent months the dynamics began to recover, he said.^[3]

According to Dalenov, almost all sectors of the real sector and certain types of services have demonstrated positive growth rates:

• construction - by 11.2%;
• information and communication - 8.6%;
• agriculture - 5.6%;
• manufacturing - 3.9%;
• education - 2.3%.

Dalenov noted that in 2020 in Kazakhstan there was a qualitative change in the structure of the economy. The share of processing in the total volume of industry increased by 9.4 percentage points - from 39.4% in 2019 to 48.8% in 2020. There is a double-digit increase in light industry, automotive industry and the production of finished metal products. The export of processed, finished goods has increased.

Thanks to the growth in production, the share of Kazakhstani goods in total consumption increased by 4.7 percentage points. 

In some processing industries, there was an acceleration in growth compared to last year:

• food production - up to 4%;
• paper products - up to 16.4%;
• pharmaceuticals - up to 47%;
• light industry - up to 15%.

The Ministry of National Economy of Kazakhstan in early March 2020 predicted GDP growth for 2020 at 4.1%, but in early April 2020, the forecast was revised. According to the updated forecast, the country's GDP in 2020 was supposed to decrease by 2.1%. 

In 2020, there was a leading growth in the manufacturing industry. The processing growth rate accelerated to 3.9%.

2019: Up 4.5%

Gross domestic product up 4.5% in 2019

2015: $10,510 per person

2015-2016 were quite difficult for the economy of Kazakhstan. In 2015, there was a significant drop in the country's GDP by 16.7% compared to the previous year, which continued in 2016: -27.5%: it decreased from $184.4 billion in 2015 to $135.0 billion in 2016.

The country's GDP per capita in 2015 compared to the peak of 2013 ($13,891) decreased by 24.3% and amounted to $10,510.

Taxes

2024: ₸58 billion brought Kazakhstan a "tax on Google" in 3 years

On October 8, 2024, it became known that the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan reported significant revenues to the country's budget from the so-called Google tax. Over the three years since the introduction of this tax, the state treasury received ₸58 billion (about 11.56 billion rubles at the exchange rate as of October 8, 2024). Read more here

Mining

Uranium ore mining

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.

Oil Production and Export

Main article: Oil production and export in Kazakhstan

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

2018: Low gasoline price

Power

2024

71% of citizens of Kazakhstan in a referendum supported the return to nuclear power

In October 2024, citizens of Kazakhstan supported the return to nuclear power. 71.12% of citizens voted for the decision to build a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan in a referendum.

Construction Plan for Small Modular Reactors from USA and Canada

In 2024, the atomic project in Kazakhstan twice passed the scientific and technical council of the Kazakh investment holding Samruk Kazyna and received approval, and the project proposal is already financially provided by the "international scientific and technical center."

They want to build an energy complex based on small modular reactors, combined with renewable energy generation (RES) promoted by Western interested parties.

Negotiations on this project are already underway with MAEK, but everything is at an early stage. After all, the small modular reactors in question - GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (Canada) and NuScale ( USA ) - are not only not yet brought to the international level, they are not at all "in metal." Moreover, in the case of NuScale, we are talking about a reactor on natural circulation, without pumps, which reduces its maneuvering characteristics even in comparison with the existing PWR/VVER.

However, memoranda have already been signed with both companies at Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants LLP, and in July 2024, a dialogue was held between the US State Department, the US Department of Energy and the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan in Astana and events were planned in several areas, including renewable energy and energy security.

2022: Power Generation Shortfall

Kazakhstan electric grid management company Kegoc in December 2022 announced the possibility of limiting electricity consumption by large industrial enterprises due to the lack of generation. "In December of this year, there is a significant increase in energy consumption in the UES of Kazakhstan. So, on December 7, 2022, a historical maximum of consumption in the entire history of the Kazakh energy system was recorded - 16,459 MW, while the total generation of the country's power plants was only 15,203 MW, "the message says. The deficit was covered by unscheduled flows from the power system Russia.

2020: Average energy consumption per capita

and

2000s: Abandonment of low-power nuclear reactor

In the 2000s, citizens of Aktau were offered a project of two power units based on the VBR-300 reactor - Soviet development using design solutions for submarine reactors and icebreakers. In the most general plan, it was the older brother of a later project of a low-power nuclear power plant based on the RITM-200N reactor, which Rosatom plans to implement in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

However, the population of the region refused this option, despite the reliable design. What in 2024 complains about, having all the problems from lack of power, and the Minister of Energy recalls that the Russian technology of small modular reactors of the XXI century, "to which they are just being selected" in the world, worked at MAEK back in the 1970s.

1999: The beginning of the decommissioning of the nuclear reactor under pressure from Western countries

In 1999, flattered by (as it turned out - empty) promises, the country's leadership began a 50-year cycle of decommissioning the reactor - a process typical of many post-Soviet countries. This happened in Lithuania at the Ignalina nuclear power plant, to the same time Western countries in 2024 are trying to persuade Armenia, insisting on the "danger" of the Metsamor nuclear power plant.

1972: Aktau Fast Neutron Nuclear Reactor BN-350

In Aktau, in 1972-1999, the Mangistau Nuclear Power Plant (MAEK) worked with the BN-350 fast neutron nuclear reactor. It provided electricity generation and heat supply to the region, as well as the operation of the world's only nuclear desalination plant for the city and industrial facilities.

Financial system

Main article: Financial system of Kazakhstan

Unemployment

2020: Unemployment rate - 7.8%

Incomes of the population

• The richest people in Kazakhstan

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

• Electronic payment systems in Kazakhstan
• Internet trading (Kazakhstan market)

• Cybercrime and cyber conflicts: 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 access (Kazakhstan market)

2023: Number of Internet users in Kazakhstan - 18.9 million

At the end of 2023, the volume of Kazakhstan's Internet audience reached 18.9 million people. 86% of users access the Internet several times a day. Of the 26.24 million mobile subscribers, 65.6% use their gadgets to access the network. Such data in August 2024 was published by the digital hub Wunder Digital.

On average, users spend 3 hours a day on the Internet, most often to search for information or view content.

• 83% of users use Google to search for data.
• 90% of respondents go to Google from a smartphone.
• 37% of the population use Yandex from a computer.

In Kazakhstan, Google continues to dominate the search engines market, but Yandex holds a significant position: it focuses on localization and regional features, which makes it attractive for users in countries where.ru domains remain relevant.

Video streaming platforms such as YouTube have become a significant part of internet activity. Users spend a lot of time watching - content 54% use YouTube regularly. Watching movies, videos, games listening to music, as well as communicating online are the main goals of going online.

Online shopping also occupies a significant share: 70% of the audience use the Kaspi marketplace. According to kaspi.kz, 9.1 million users visit the application daily, 14 million economically active users enter the site monthly. Users change the entry point: they are looking for the necessary product not in the search engine, but on marketplaces.

To search for current news, users switch to popular information portals. 59.6% of respondents use the Internet for this purpose. Tengrinews became the absolute leader in the number of visits in March 2024 - the average monthly number of visits reached 26.26 million. gismeteo.kz (18.75 million) and nur.kz (13.47) are also in demand. At the same time, as you can see in the infographic, the Kaspi marketplace is the leader in reaching a monthly audience. Overall, among the 20 sites, half specialize in e-commerce.

The pandemic has made changes to work and training processes, making remote work and online learning more common. This increased the amount of time spent online for professional and educational purposes: email, dating, communication, blogging, courses, as well as business on the Internet.

In addition, users spend a lot of time in plentiful applications. The leaders of free downloads at the time of the study were the following categories: Games, Entertainment, Communication, Navigation, Social, Photo & Video, Finance. Among paid tools, the Games category prevails.

2022: Internet penetration rate by regions of Kazakhstan

R&D

2020: R&D costs - $718 million

Media and advertising

2023: The volume of the media market of Kazakhstan overcame the mark of 100 billion tenge

In recent years, digital has taken a strong position in the investment structure in Kazakhstan, demonstrating a regular increase in the share of investments. This is mainly due to the popularization of online consumption and the development of e-commerce. Such information in August 2024 was shared by representatives of the digital hub Wunder Digital.

The volume of the media market in 2020 showed a fall of 5% due to the pandemic. Advertisers cut budgets taking into account the change in consumption. Thus, advertising campaigns in outdoor advertising, radio, indoor have decreased. The whole of 2021 went to a slow but confident recovery. And already in the next year, 2022, the media market was marked by positive dynamics - the results exceeded forecasts by 2%. At the end of 2023, the volume of the media market in Kazakhstan overcame the mark of 100 billion tenge.

"The growth driver was digital with + 56% vs 2022 dynamics and became segment# 1 in 2023. In 2024, growth is predicted to be at least 30%, half of it will be inflation," said Dmitry Grigoriev, CBDO Wunder Digital.

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.

Astana

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

Transport infrastructure

Logistics routes

• Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route)

Ports

Transport

• UAVs in Kazakhstan
• Electric vehicles (Kazakhstan market)

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.

Foreign trade

Trade with Russia

Main article: Trade between Russia and Kazakhstan

2024

Continuation of high imports of cars from the EU for their re-export to Russia

Rising imports from China at the beginning of the year

2023

Growth of Kazakhstan's IT exports by 57% to $529 million

According to the results of 2023, Kazakhstan's IT exports reached $529 million. This is 57% more than in the previous year, when sales of computer services abroad amounted to $337 million. Such data are given in the materials of the National Bank of the Republic, which TAdviser got acquainted with in mid-August 2024.

It is said that the export of IT services of Kazakhstan in the first half of 2023 amounted to $247.3 million, having increased 2.2 times compared to January-June 2022 ($110.5 million). In the second half of 2023, sales of computer services abroad exceeded $281 million. The main destinations for IT exports are the United States (8.71%), the United Arab Emirates (3.67%), Cyprus (2.65%), the Netherlands (1.51%), the Russian Federation (1.72%), the United Kingdom (1.09%), Germany (1.02%), Spain (1.54%), Ireland (8.64%), Canada (0.19%).

Kazakhstan's IT exports grew by 57% over the year and exceeded $0.5 billion

The Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan notes that the country's IT exports are showing rapid growth. So, in 2020, its volume was about $30 million, in 2021 it rose to $60.07 million, and in 2022 it was at the level of 337 million. According to Mussin, between 2020 and 2023, IT exports grew almost 20 times. Salt high dynamics, as noted, contributes to the growth of the country's economy.

Most of the sales of computer services abroad are accounted for by Astana Hub residents, who make up about 60% of the IT market in Kazakhstan. In 2023, they provided exports worth $315 million. And in the period from 2018 to 2023, residents of the leading Kazakh technopark exported their services for $630.9 million. In 2023, 394 technopark residents exported their products and services to 86 countries: the largest markets were the United States ($111.7 million), Russia ($34.5 million) and Ireland ($30.3 million). These countries accounted for more than half of the total export of the technopark.

It is said that the range of services offered by Kazakh IT companies covers a variety of areas: from software development to game creation and data analysis. The leaders in the volume of exported services were service companies engaged in software development. In particular, 189 Astana Hub residents provided services for the development of IT solutions for $228.2 million. The remaining 205 companies exported products worth $83.6 million, covering areas such as SaaS (software as a service), game creation, etc.

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set the task of bringing the export of IT services to $1 billion by 2026 and making the country a center of attraction for digital nomads. To achieve this goal, various initiatives are being implemented. In particular, IT schools are opening in which everyone can get a high-quality education in the field of programming. The Tech Orda project, initiated by the president, aims to train 20,000 IT professionals by 2025. This project provides educational grants for education in IT schools; it is planned to provide 3 thousand vouchers for training at such sites of citizens aged 18 to 45 years. As of mid-2024, applications from students are accepted by 77 accredited IT schools. The Ministry of Digital Development also notes that Kazakhstan focuses on digital diplomacy, promoting its IT products and services in the international market. In addition, the Astana Hub experience in the regions is being scaled. By the end of 2023, 12 regional sites have been opened and are functioning (Semey, Kyzylorda, Taraz, Taldykorgan, Turkestan, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Uralsk, Aktobe, Karaganda, Kostanay, Kokshetau, Pavlodar).^[5]

Foreign Trade Results

The first two places in trade with Kazakhstan are shared by Russia and Kazakhstan. For more details, see Trade between Russia and Kazakhstan

The third place in the ranking of the main trading partners of Kazakhstan is occupied by Italy with an indicator of $16.1 billion and an increase of 8% on an annualized basis.

Next come South Korea and Turkey: the indicator of each of these countries is about $6 billion. At the same time, a drop in trade turnover was recorded by 1.6% and 4.8%, respectively, compared to 2022. In fifth place are the Netherlands, whose trade with Kazakhstan in 2023 decreased by 24% - to $4.4 billion.

In 2023, China became the main trading partner of Kazakhstan

The main markets for Kazakhstani goods are China, Russia and Italy. China has become the main trading partner of Kazakhstan, the published document says.

The total turnover of Kazakhstan, according to QazTrade estimates, in 2023 reached $139.8 billion, an increase of 3.2% compared to the previous year. Exports were at around $78.7 billion (minus 7% year-on-year), imports - $61.1 billion (plus 20.1%).

The study also notes that Kazakhstan has increased non-resource exports to Asian countries: China (plus 10%), Hong Kong (plus 34%), South Korea (plus 30%) and Vietnam (plus 64%). The share of Kazakhstan's exports from trade is 56.3%, and the share of processed goods in the total export volume is 32.1%. In 2023, the number of commodity markets increased - from 131 to 135 states.^[6]

Record volume of imports from China

China's exports to Kazakhstan reached a new all-time high in December 2023.

7th in the world in terms of wheat exports

2022

China is the largest export destination

Growth in trade with the United States and the EU due to circumvention of sanctions against the Russian Federation

The rapid growth of trade flows USA EU with neighbors Russia may be a sign that sanctions can be avoided, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development believes.

German exports to Russia from May to July 2022 fell 38% compared to the average for the same period in 2017-2019. However, it almost doubled to Armenia and more than tripled to Kyrgyzstan - a trend also seen in trade flows to the Caucasus and Central Asia from the US, Britain and EU countries.

Kazakhstan sharply increased coal supplies to the EU

In January-May 2022, Kazakhstan supplied 1.5 million tons of coal to the European Union - almost twice as much as in the entire 2021. The increase was against the background of sanctions on supplies from Russia.

2020

Kazakhstan - in the top ten largest exporters of wheat with an indicator of 5.2 million tons

Major Trading Partners

2018: Wheat exports

Agriculture

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

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.

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