Map of Kazakhstan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Ethnic Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated to the region by the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. Soviet policies reduced the number of ethnic Kazakhs in the 1930s and enabled non-ethnic Kazakhs to outnumber natives. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural 'Virgin Lands' program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) further skewed the ethnic mixture. 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 back to Kazakhstan. These trends have allowed Kazakhs to become the titular majority again. This dramatic demographic shift has also undermined the previous religious diversity and made the country more than 70% Muslim.Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states largely due to the country's vast natural resources. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity, expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets, diversifying the economy, enhancing Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness, and strengthening relations with neighboring states and foreign powers. Astana successfully hosted an internationally recognized exposition in 2017. The three-month Expo 2017, themed Future Energy, was the first such exhibition by a former Soviet country.


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

Geographic coordinates: 48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 2,724,900 km²
Land: 2,699,700 km²
Water: 25,200 km²
Rank: 10
Comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 13,364 km
Border countries: (5) China 1765 km; , Kyrgyzstan 1212 km; , Russia 7,644 km; , Turkmenistan 413 km; , Uzbekistan 2,330 km

Coastline: 0 km
Note: (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea now split into two bodies of water (1070 km) and the Caspian Sea (1894 km)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid

Terrain: vast flat steppe extending from the Volga in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east and from the plains of western Siberia in the north to oases and deserts of Central Asia in the south

Elevation
Mean elevation: 387 m
Elevation extremes: -132 m
Note: lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 77.4% (2011 est.)
Forest: 1.2% (2011 est.)
Other: 21.4% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 20,660 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty

Geography
Note: world's largest landlocked country and one of only two landlocked countries in the world that extends into two continents (the other is Azerbaijan); Russia leases approximately 6,000 km² of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2,050


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Population
Distribution: 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: 18,744,548 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 63
Growth rate: 0.98% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 111
Below poverty line: 2.6% (2016 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Kazakhstani(s)
Adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 63.1%, Russian 23.7%, Uzbek 2.9%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Uighur 1.4%, Tatar 1.3%, German 1.1%, other 4.4% (2009 est.)

Languages: Kazakh (official, Qazaq) 74% (understand spoken language), 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.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.09% (male 2,406,397 /female 2,483,562)
15-24 years: 13.55% (male 1,295,882 /female 1,244,540)
25-54 years: 42.32% (male 3,884,454 /female 4,049,072)
55-64 years: 10.14% (male 831,872 /female 1,068,651)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 517,471 /female 962,647) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.4 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 40.3 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.2 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 9.8 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 30.9 years
Male: 29.7 years
Female: 32.2 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 112

Population growth rate: 0.98% (2018 est.)
Rank: 111

Birth rate: 17.5 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 99

Death rate: 8.2 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 84

Net migration rate: 0.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 63

Population distribution: 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 57.4% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 1.29% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.829 million Almaty, 1.068 million ASTANA (capital), 982,000 Shimkent (2018)

Environment
Current issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers that flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; desertification; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 0.93 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.78 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.53 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 25 years (2014 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 19 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 21.6 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 16.6 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 82

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.4 years (2018 est.)
Male: 66.2 years (2018 est.)
Female: 76.3 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 150

Total fertility rate: 2.22 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 93

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 55.7% (2015)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.6% of population
Rural: 14.4% of population
Total: 7.1% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.27 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 6.7 beds/1000 population (2013)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 3% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 1.9% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 2.5% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 97
People living with hivaids: 27,000 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 74
Deaths note: <1000 (2017 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21% (2016)
Rank: 94

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2% (2015)
Rank: 111

Education expenditures: 3% of GDP (2016)
Rank: 143

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Total population: 99.8% (2015 est.)
Male: 99.8% (2015 est.)
Female: 99.8% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years (2016)
Male: 15 years (2016)
Female: 15 years (2016)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
Conventional short form: Kazakhstan
Local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
Local short form: Qazaqstan
Former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology: the name Kazakh derives from the Turkic word kaz meaning to wander, recalling the Kazakhs nomadic lifestyle; the Persian suffix -stan means place of or country, so the word Kazakhstan literally means Land of the Wanderers

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Astana
Geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 25 E
Time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): note: Kazakhstan has two time zones

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 16 December (1991)

Constitution
History: previous 1937, 1978 (preindependence), 1993; latest approved by referendum 30 August 1995, effective 5 September 1995 (2017)
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic, on the recommendation of Parliament, or by the government; the president has the option of submitting draft amendments to Parliament or directly to a referendum; passage of amendments by Parliament requires four-fifths majority vote of both houses and the signature of the president; passage by referendum requires absolute majority vote by more than one-half of the voters in at least two-thirds of the oblasts, major cities, and the capital, followed by the signature of the president; amended several times, last in 2017 (2017)

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Nursultan Abishuly NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991)
Head of government: Prime Minister Bakytzhan SAGINTAYEV (since 9 September 2016); First Deputy Prime Minister Askar MAMIN (since 13 September 2016)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held on 26 April 2015 (next scheduled for 2020); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Mazhilis; note - constitutional amendments in May 2007 shortened the presidential term from 7 to 5 years and established a 2-consecutive-term limit; NAZARBAYEV has official status as the First President of Kazakhstan and is allowed unlimited terms
Election results: Nursultan Abishuly NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan Abishuly NAZARBAYEV (Nur Otan) 97.8%, other 2.2%

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of the Republic (consists of 44 members); Constitutional Council (consists of the chairman and 6 members)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges proposed by the president of the republic on recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council and confirmed by the Senate; judges normally serve until age 65 but can be extended to age 70; Constitutional Council - the president of the republic, the Senate chairperson, and the Majilis chairperson each appoints 2 members for a 6-year term; chairman of the Constitutional Council appointed by the president for a 6-year term
Subordinate courts: regional and local courts

Political parties and leaders: Ak Zhol (Bright Path) Party or Democratic Party of Kazakhstan Ak Zhol [Azat PERUASHEV]Auyl National Patriotic Party [Ali BEKTAYEV] (a merger of the Patriots’ Party and the Auyl Social Democratic Party)Birlik (Unity) [Serik SULTANGALI] (a merger of Adilet (Justice; formerly Democratic Party of Kazakhstan) and Rukhaniyat (Spirituality))Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]National Social Democratic Party or NSDP [Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]Nur Otan (Radiant Fatherland) Democratic People's Party [Nursultan NAZARBAYEV] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with Otan)

International organization participation: ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEU, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EITI (compliant country), FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UN Security Council (temporary), UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Erzhar KAZYKHANOV (since 24 April 2017)
In the us chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-5,488
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 232-5,845
In the us consulate: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador George KROL (since 18 March 2015)
From the us embassy: Rakhymzhan Koshkarbayev Ave. No 3, Astana 10,010
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [7] (7,172) 70-21-00
From the us FAX: [7] (7,172) 54-09-14
From the us consulate: Almaty

Flag description: a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, both centered on a sky blue background; the hoist side displays a national ornamental pattern 'koshkar-muiz' (the horns of the ram) in gold; the blue color is of religious significance to the Turkic peoples of the country, and so symbolizes cultural and ethnic unity; it also represents the endless sky as well as water; the sun, a source of life and energy, exemplifies wealth and plenitude; the sun's rays are shaped like grain, which is the basis of abundance and prosperity; the eagle has appeared on the flags of Kazakh tribes for centuries and represents freedom, power, and the flight to the future

National symbols: golden eagle; national colors: blue, yellow

National anthem
Name: Menin Qazaqstanim (My Kazakhstan)
Lyricsmusic: Zhumeken NAZHIMEDENOV and Nursultan NAZARBAYEV/Shamshi KALDAYAKOV: note: adopted 2006; President Nursultan NAZARBAYEV played a role in revising the lyrics

National heritage


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Economy overview: Kazakhstan's vast hydrocarbon and mineral reserves form the backbone of its economy. Geographically the largest of the former Soviet republics, excluding Russia, Kazakhstan, g possesses substantial fossil fuel reserves and other minerals and metals, such as uranium, copper, and zinc. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. The government realizes that its economy suffers from an overreliance on oil and extractive industries and has made initial attempts to diversify its economy by targeting sectors like transport, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, petrochemicals and food processing for greater development and investment. It also adopted a Subsoil Code in December 2017 with the aim of increasing exploration and investment in the hydrocarbon, and particularly mining, sectors.Kazakhstan's oil production and potential is expanding rapidly. A $36.8 billion expansion of Kazakhstan’s premiere Tengiz oil field by Chevron-led Tengizchevroil should be complete in 2022. Meanwhile, the super-giant Kashagan field finally launched production in October 2016 after years of delay and an estimated $55 billion in development costs. Kazakhstan’s total oil production in 2017 climbed 10.5%.Kazakhstan is landlocked and depends on Russia to export its oil to Europe. It also exports oil directly to China. In 2010, Kazakhstan joined Russia and Belarus to establish a Customs Union in an effort to boost foreign investment and improve trade. The Customs Union evolved into a Single Economic Space in 2012 and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in January 2015. Supported by rising commodity prices, Kazakhstan’s exports to EAEU countries increased 30.2% in 2017. Imports from EAEU countries grew by 24.1%.The economic downturn of its EAEU partner, Russia, and the decline in global commodity prices from 2014 to 2016 contributed to an economic slowdown in Kazakhstan. In 2014, Kazakhstan devalued its currency, the tenge, and announced a stimulus package to cope with its economic challenges. In the face of further decline in the ruble, oil prices, and the regional economy, Kazakhstan announced in 2015 it would replace its currency band with a floating exchange rate, leading to a sharp fall in the value of the tenge. Since reaching a low of 391 to the dollar in January 2016, the tenge has modestly appreciated, helped by somewhat higher oil prices. While growth slowed to about 1% in both 2015 and 2016, a moderate recovery in oil prices, relatively stable inflation and foreign exchange rates, and the start of production at Kashagan helped push 2017 GDP growth to 4%.Despite some positive institutional and legislative changes in the last several years, investors remain concerned about corruption, bureaucracy, and arbitrary law enforcement, especially at the regional and municipal levels. An additional concern is the condition of the country’s banking sector, which suffers from poor asset quality and a lack of transparency. Investors also question the potentially negative effects on the economy of a contested presidential succession as Kazakhstan’s first president, Nursultan NAZARBAYEV, turned 77 in 2017.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 42

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 78

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 79

Gross national saving:
Rank: 71

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 53.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 22.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 4.8% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 35.4% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -27.1% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 34.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 61.2% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: grain (mostly spring wheat and barley), potatoes, vegetables, melons; livestock

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: 5.8% (2017 est.)
Rank: 45

Labor force: 8.97 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 53
By occupation agriculture: 18.1%
By occupation industry: 20.4%
By occupation services: 61.6% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 74

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 2.6% (2016 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 23.3% (2016)
Highest 10: 23.3% (2016)

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 149

Budget
Revenues: 35.48 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 38.3 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -1.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 98

Taxes and other revenues: 22.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 134

Public debt:
Rank: 187

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 194

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 18

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 48

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 72

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 73

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 64

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 107

Current account balance:
Rank: 185

Exports:
Rank: 51
Partners: Italy 17.9%, China 11.9%, Netherlands 9.8%, Russia 9.3%, Switzerland 6.4%, France 5.9% (2017)
Commodities: oil and oil products, natural gas, ferrous metals, chemicals, machinery, grain, wool, meat, coal

Imports:
Rank: 64
Commodities: machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs
Partners: Russia 38.9%, China 16.1%, Germany 5.1%, US 4.3% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 50

Debt external:
Rank: 40

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 37

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 48

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 100.8 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 35
Consumption: 94.23 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 33
Exports: 5.1 billion kWh (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 37
Imports: 1.318 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 64
Installed generating capacity: 20.15 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 44
Generation sources fossil fuels: 86% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 66
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 117
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 14% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 107
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 155

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1.777 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 14
Crude oil exports: 1.409 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 9
Crude oil imports: 1480 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 79
Crude oil proven reserves: 30 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 11

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 290,700 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 44
Products consumption: 274,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 46
Products exports: 105,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 41
Products imports: 39,120 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 90

Natural gas
Production: 22.41 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 30
Consumption: 15.37 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 43
Exports: 12.8 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 17
Imports: 5.748 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 34
Proven reserves: 2.407 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 14

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 304.6 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 23

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3,697,300 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 37
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 26.473 million (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 143 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 48

Telephone system
General assessment: one of the most progressive telecoms sectors in Central Asia; vast 4G network; low fixed-line and fixed-broadband penetration, moderate mobile broadband penetration and high mobile penetration (2017)
Domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of fixed-line connections is 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage increased rapidly and the subscriber base approaches 143 per 100 persons (2017)
International: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2017)

Broadcast media: the state owns nearly all radio and TV transmission facilities and operates national TV and radio networks; there are 96 TV channels, many of which are owned by the government, and 4 state-run radio stations; some former state-owned media outlets have been privatized; households with satellite dishes have access to foreign media; a small number of commercial radio stations operate along with state-run radio stations; recent legislation requires all media outlets to register with the government and all TV providers to broadcast in digital format by 2018; broadcasts reach some 99% of the population as well as neighboring countries (2018)

Internet
Country code: .kz
Users total: 14,100,751 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 76.8% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 41

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,573,500 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2017 est.)
Rank: 45


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 129

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 2 years, but Kazakhstan is transitioning to a largely contract force; military cadets in intermediate (ages 15-17) and higher (ages 17-21) education institutes are classified as military service personnel (2017)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 10 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 71 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 5,081,631 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 37,669,008
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: UP (2016)

Airports: 96 (2013)
Rank: 60
With paved runways total: 63 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 10 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 25 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 15 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 8 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 33 (2013)
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 5 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 13 (2013)

Heliports: 3 (2013)

Pipelines: 658 km condensate, 15,256 km gas, 11,313 km oil, 1095 km refined products, 1975 km water (2016)

Railways
Total: 16,104 km (2016)
Broad gauge: 16,104 km
Note: 1.520-m gauge (4,200 km electrified) (2016)
Rank: 17

Roadways
Total: 97,418 km (2012)
Paved: 87,140 km (2012)
Unpaved: 10,278 km (2012)
Rank: 48

Waterways: 4,000 km
Note: (on the Ertis (Irtysh) River (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) River) (2010)
Rank: 25

Merchant marine
Total: 119 (2017)
By type: general cargo 4, oil tanker 10, other 105 (2017)
Rank: 78

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Caspian Sea - Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Guryev)
River port: Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk) (Irtysh River)


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Disputes international: Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstanfield demarcation of the boundaries commenced with Uzbekistan in 2004 and with Turkmenistan in 2005ongoing demarcation with Russia began in 2007demarcation with China was completed in 2002creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussionAzerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 8,138 (2017)

Illicit drugs: significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates