Capital

Kasachstan

name: Astana

geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 25 E

time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

time zone note: Kazakhstan has two time zones

etymology: the name means "capital city" in Kazakh


note: on 17 September 2022, Kazakhstan changed the name of its capital city from Nur-Sultan back to Astana; this was not the first time the city had its name changed; founded in 1830 as Akmoly, it became Akmolinsk in 1832, Tselinograd in 1961, Akmola (Aqmola) in 1992, Astana in 1998, and Nur-Sultan in 2019; the latest name change occurred just three and a half years after the city was renamed to honor a long-serving (28-year) former president, who subsequently fell out of favor

Citizenship

Kasachstan

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kazakhstan

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Kasachstan

civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and by the theory and practice of the Russian Federation

Suffrage

Kasachstan

18 years of age; universal

Area

Kasachstan

total: 2,724,900 sq km

land: 2,699,700 sq km

water: 25,200 sq km

Land use

Kasachstan

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.)

Location

Kasachstan

Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Oral) River in easternmost Europe

Age structure

Kasachstan

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)

Birth rate

Kasachstan

17.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Kasachstan

8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Kasachstan

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.

Life expectancy at birth

Kasachstan

total population: 73 years (2023 est.)

male: 68.7 years

female: 77.7 years

Major urban areas - population

Kasachstan

1.987 million Almaty, 1.291 million NUR-SULTAN (capital), 1.155 million Shimkent (2023)

Median age

Kasachstan

total: 31.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 29.9 years

female: 33.5 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Kasachstan

28.9 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Kasachstan

-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Kasachstan

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

Population growth rate

Kasachstan

0.9% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Kasachstan

2.59 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Kasachstan

urban population: 58.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Kasachstan

4.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Kasachstan

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Kasachstan

-1.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Kasachstan

5.1% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Kasachstan

9.248 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Kasachstan

4.3% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Kasachstan

4.9% (2021 est.)

4.89% (2020 est.)

4.8% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Kasachstan

26.63% of GDP (2020 est.)

18.48% of GDP (2019 est.)

21.99% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Kasachstan

6.75% (2020 est.)

5.25% (2019 est.)

6.02% (2018 est.)

Exports

Kasachstan

$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

Exports - partners

Kasachstan

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

Imports

Kasachstan

$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

Imports - partners

Kasachstan

Russia 34%, China 24% (2019)

Airports

Kasachstan

96 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Kasachstan

total: 2,620,400 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Kasachstan

total: 17.29 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 91% (2021 est.)

Railways

Kasachstan

total: 16,636 km (2021)

broad gauge: 16,636 km (2021) 1.520-m gauge (4,237 km electrified)

Roadways

Kasachstan

total: 96,167 km (2021)

paved: 83,813 km (2021)

unpaved: 12,354 km (2021)

Telephones - fixed lines

Kasachstan

total subscriptions: 2,997,400 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Kasachstan

total subscriptions: 24.323 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Kasachstan

43,983 km (2020) (on the Ertis (Irtysh) River (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) River)

Disputes - international

Kasachstan

Kazakhstan-China: in 1998, Kazakhstan and China agreed to split two disputed border areas nearly evenly; demarcation with China completed in 2002

Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan: in January 2019, Kyrgyzstan ratified the 2017 agreement on the demarcation of the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border

Kazakhstan-Russia: Russia boundary delimitation was ratified on November 2005; field demarcation commenced in 2007 and was expected to be completed by 2013

Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan: Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan signed a treaty on the delimitation and demarcation process in 2001; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005; Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan agreed to their border in the Caspian Sea in 2014

Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan: field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2004; disputed territory is held by Uzbekistan but the overwhelming majority of residents are ethnic Kazakhs; the two countries agreed on draft final demarcation documents in March 2022 and planned to hold another meeting in April 2022