Country Summary: Kazakhstan (Republic of Kazakhstan)

Country Name: Kazakhstan (Republic of Kazakhstan)

Capital: Astana

Government Type: presidential republic

Background: 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.

Continent: Asia

Population: 19,543,464 (2023 est.)

Ethnic Groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 69.6%, Russian 17.9%, Uzbek 3.3%, Uyghur 1.5%, Ukrainian 1.3%,  Tatar 1%, other 5.3% (2022 est.)

Languages: 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.)

Religions: Muslim 70.2%, Christian 26.2% (mainly Russian Orthodox), other 0.2%, atheist 2.8%, unspecified 0.5% (2009 est.)

Economic Overview: 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

Currency: Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT)

Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $35.076 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $512.002 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

Real GDP Growth Rate: 3.2% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per Capita: $26,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

Exports: 

• $93.581 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 52

Export Commodities: crude petroleum, gold, copper, iron alloys, natural gas (2021)

Export Partners: China 13%, Italy 12%, Russia 10%, Netherlands 7%, France 6%, South Korea 5% (2019)

Imports: 

• $60.147 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 63

Import Commodities: packaged medicines, natural gas, cars, broadcasting equipment, aircraft (2019)

Import Partners: Russia 34%, China 24% (2019)

Natural Resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Agricultural Products: wheat, milk, potatoes, barley, watermelons, melons, linseed, onions, maize, sunflower seed

Industries: 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

Industrial Production Growth Rate: 

• 4.15% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

• Comparison Ranking: 93

Labor Force: 9.481 million (2022 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 4.86% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Natural Hazards: earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty

Geography:

• Total: 2,724,900 sq km

• Land: 2,699,700 sq km

• Water: 25,200 sq km

(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)

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