Kazakhstan

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

 

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

It has the 67th highest military spender in the world with an annual budget of US$1.76 billion, or 1.07 percent of its GDP. 

The military of Kazakhstan, called the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, consists of ground forces and an Air Force. Despite Kazakhstan being a landlocked state, it also has a Navy which is uses to ensure its security of the Caspian Sea.

Military membership

It is also a member of seven international military organizations making it the 47th most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Collective Security Treaty Organization 
  • Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) 
  • Conference on Disarmament 
  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
  • Nuclear Suppliers Group 
  • International Atomic Energy Agency 
  • Collective Security Treaty Organization 

Military membership

International wars

Kazakhstan has partaken in two international wars. These are: 

  • Kenesary's Kazakh uprising 1837-1846 
  • South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes 2010-2010 

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Kazakhstan is a member of 11 international political organizations which makes it the 106th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Member state of the United Nations 
  • International Labour Organization 
  • Asia Cooperation Dialogue 
  • Commonwealth of Independent States 
  • Turkic Council 
  • Organization of Islamic Cooperation 

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is the 141st most democratic state in the world. This is largely due to questions surrounding the electoral process. There have been accusations of ballots tampering as well as harassment of opposition candidates and restrictions on freedom of speech. 

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Kazakhstan take place in the form of a presidential republic where the president of Kazakhstan is elected and the head of government and is elected by the president of Kazakhstan. 

  • International Organization of Turkic Culture 

  • Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy 

  • Interpol 

  • Association of World Election Bodies 

  • World Organization for Animal Health 

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Kenia.

Known for its wild horses, being the largest landlocked state as well as its role in central Asia, Kazakhstan has been independent for around 100 years. In ancient times, the territory of Kazakhstan was roamed by nomadic people until the territory was conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century. Following the expulsion of the Mongols, the territory came under the rule of the Tatars until it was incorporated into the Russian Empire during the 18th century. After the Russian Revolution, it became a socialist republic within the Soviet Union until the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the 20th century. Since its independence, Kazakhstan had balanced its way between the foreign policies of China, the West and Russia. .

 The landscape of Kazakhstan can be described as a steppe to the north and a desert to its south. In total, Kazakhstan borders five other states with Russia to its north, China to its east which has a large mountain range, Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to its south.  

With a total surface area of over 2.7 million square kilometers or 1.06 million square miles, Kazakhstan is the ninth largest state in the world being smaller than Argentina and larger than Algeria. 

It has 25,326 square kilometers or 9749 square miles of surface water which makes Kazakhstan the 21st state with the highest amount in the world. 

 

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its freshwater comes from surface water which originates mainly from states outside of Kazakhstan. These are mainly of the rivers Irtysh, Chu and Ural which mainly originate from China and Russia. 

The climate of Kazakhstan is a continental one with warm summers and harsh and extremely cold winters. With an average temperature of 6.2 degrees Celsius or 43.2 degrees Fahrenheit, Kazakhstan is the 181st warmest state in the world. 

During the summer period, from May to August, the average temperature is 11 degrees Celsius or 51.8 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During the winter, the average temperature is -0.3 degrees Celsius or 31.5 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Because of its location in central Asia, Kazakhstan does not receive a large amount of precipitation from the oceans. On average, it receives 29.5 centimetres or 11.6 inches of rainfall per year which makes it the 179th highest in the world. The amount of rainfall also varies heavily with the winter months receiving 20 times less rainfall than the summer months. 

The capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, is a home to around 800,000 people. The capital that is furthest removed from Astana is Santiago Chile with a distance of 16,400 kilometers or 10,191 miles. The capital that is closest located to Astana is Bishkek of Kyrgyzstan with a distance of 907 kilometers or 563 miles. 

The economy of Kazakhstan has been largely focused on the export of raw materials. One notable element is the export of uranium of which Kazakhstan holds nearly 50 percent of the world's reserves. Despite efforts of diversifying its economy, it is still heavily reliant on the export of copper, oil and uranium which is mainly exported to China and Italy which are responsible for nearly 30 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from Russia which is solely responsible for more than 55 percent of all imports. 

Kazakhstan is a member of 16 international economic organizations which makes it the 33rd most economically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

Its GDP, with US$173 billion is the 54th highest in the world and represents 0.2 percent of total global GDP. 

Its GDP per service area is the 164th highest in the world with US$63,168 per square kilometer or US$163,603 per square mile. 

Its GDP per capita is the 73rd highest in the world with US$9283. 

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power, however, is the 58th highest in the world and stands at 26,736US dollars. 

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Kazakhstan is an ethnically diverse state with just over half of its population being ethnically Kazakh. Other ethnicities are mainly Russian and regional states that were a part of the Soviet Union. Its official languages are Kazakh as well as Russian and English and its total population is 18.6 million people which makes it the 61st most populous state in the world. 

Despite its high population, when compared to its size it is the 185th most densely populated state in the world with seven people per square kilometer or 18 people per square mile. 

More than 20 percent of its population, or more than 4 million people have migrated to other states. This represents 1.6 percent of total global migration and ranks Kazakhstan as the 15th state with the highest number of emigrants. These are mainly highly educated people that are looking for better economic opportunities. The most popular destination is Russia which is solely responsible for 60 percent of total migration. 

With a total of 3.5 million people, or 18.6 percent of the population, Kazakhstan is also the 15th highest in the world and represents 1.38 percent of total global emigration. Here, the vast majority of emigrants is also represented by Russia which is solely responsible for 65 percent of total immigration. 

With its educational system inherited from the Soviet Union, school has been mandatory for over 50 years. This has led to a literacy rate of 99.5 percent which makes Kazakhstan the 10th most literate state in the world. 

Currently, Kazakhstan does not have sufficient resources to attain universal healthcare. However, over the last decade, Kazakhstan has started to make large investments in the improvement of its outdated health care system. Currently, the life expectancy in Kazakhstan is the 84th highest in the world with 73.9 Years. Women Reach 78 Years and Men Reach 69.6 Years. 

Kazakhstan is a multi-religious state. Due to interreligious tensions in the past, Kazakhstan has set up a religious governmental agency in order to ensure religious freedoms of all religions. As a result, religious tensions have been fairly low in recent years. 

Christianity is the second largest religion in Kazakhstan and is followed by 25 percent of the population. The largest denomination is Eastern orthodoxy. This is mainly due to the large migrations from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus where eastern orthodoxy is the main religion. 

 

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed 

Islam is the largest religion in Kazakhstan and is followed by 70.3 percent of the population. It was introduced during the eighth century when Islam spread throughout Central Asia and slowly became the dominant religion throughout the centuries. When the Russian Empire Incorporated Kazakhstan, the people were free to practice their Islamic beliefs. However, this changed somewhat during the Soviet era which firmly upheld atheism as its state religion. The Sunni denomination is the largest denomination

Buddhism is represented by 0.2 percent of the population. There are currently two Buddhist organizations located in Kazakhstan which are related to Korean and Tibetan Buddhism. 

Hinduism is represented by 0.03 percent of the population and mainly consists of migrant workers from the Indian subcontinent. 

Judaism is represented by 0.04 percent of the population. The Jews living in Kazakhstan are from different Jewish tribes. Most of the synagogues are located in the largest cities of Kazakhstan, namely Astana, Almaty and Pavlodar. 

Around 0.27 percent of the population adheres to other religions. These are mainly Tengrism, which is a religion that is focused on worshiping natural elements and the balance between these elements. 

Irreligion is represented by 2.81 percent of the population. Contrary to global trends, irreligion is on the decline within Kazakhstan.