Demographics of Kazakhstan
The demographics of Kazakhstan enumerate the demographic features of the population of Kazakhstan, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. Some use the word Kazakh to refer to the Kazakh ethnic group and language and Kazakhstani to refer to Kazakhstan and its citizens regardless of ethnicity, but it is common to use Kazakh in both senses. It is expected that by 2050, the population will range from 23.5 to 27.7 million people.
Overview
Official estimates put the population of Kazakhstan at 20,182,003 as of August 2024, of which 62.7% is urban and 37.3% is rural population. In a report released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in September 2021, the level of urbanization in Kazakhstan is estimated to reach 69.1% by 2050.The proportion of men makes up 48.85% and the proportion of women is 51.15%.
Ethnic Kazakhs make up 71%, Russians 14.9%, Uzbeks 3.3%, Ukrainians 1.9%, Uygur 1.5%, Germans 1.1%, Tatars 1.1%, and others 5.2%.
The first census in Kazakhstan was conducted under Russian Imperial rule in 1897, which estimated population at round 4 million people. Following censuses showed a growth until 1939, where numbers showed a decrease to 6,081 thousand relative to the previous census done 13 years earlier, due to famines of 1922 and 1933.
But since 1939 population has steadily increased to 16.5 million in 1989, according to corresponding year census. Official estimates indicate that the population continued to increase after 1989, peaking out at 17 million in 1993 and then declining to 15 million in the 1999 census. The downward trend continued through 2002, when the estimated population bottomed out at 14.9 million, and then resumed its growth. Significant numbers of Russians returned to Russia. Kazakhstan underwent significant urbanization during the first 50 years of the Soviet era, as the share of the rural population declined from more than 90% in the 1920s to less than 50% since the 1970s. The fertility rate declined to amongst the lower rates in the world in 1999 and increased to again amongst the higher rates in the world in 2021.
Population size and structure
Population of Kazakhstan 1897–2024
As of 2003, there were discrepancies between Western sources regarding the population of Kazakhstan. United States government sources, including the CIA World Factbook and the US Census Bureau International Data Base, listed the population as 15,340,533, while the World Bank gave a 2002 estimate of 14,858,948. This discrepancy was presumably due to difficulties in measurement caused by the large migratory population in Kazakhstan, emigration, and low population density – only about 5.5 persons per km2 in an area the size of Western Europe.Structure of the population
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 9 223 589 | 9 777 399 | 19 000 988 | 100 |
| 0 | 223 552 | 209 539 | 433 090 | 2.28 |
| 1–4 | 818 257 | 766 788 | 1 585 045 | 8.34 |
| 5–9 | 982 270 | 927 108 | 1 909 377 | 10.05 |
| 10–14 | 857 617 | 811 696 | 1 669 313 | 8.76 |
| 15–19 | 643 879 | 610 943 | 1 254 821 | 6.60 |
| 20–24 | 568 174 | 544 634 | 1 112 808 | 5.86 |
| 25–29 | 699 428 | 680 033 | 1 379 461 | 7.26 |
| 30–34 | 793 785 | 815 781 | 1 609 566 | 8.47 |
| 35–39 | 690 052 | 709 580 | 1 399 631 | 7.37 |
| 40–44 | 586 612 | 615 237 | 1 201 849 | 6.33 |
| 45–49 | 525 164 | 576 347 | 1 101 510 | 5.80 |
| 50–54 | 475 079 | 532 077 | 1 007 156 | 5.30 |
| 55–59 | 449 996 | 534 713 | 984 709 | 5.18 |
| 60–64 | 375 734 | 486 204 | 861 938 | 4.54 |
| 65–69 | 241 436 | 361 664 | 603 099 | 3.17 |
| 70–74 | 149 026 | 263 406 | 412 432 | 2.17 |
| 75–79 | 60 581 | 122 881 | 183 462 | 0.97 |
| 80–84 | 57 026 | 141 863 | 198 889 | 1.05 |
| 85–89 | 17 029 | 47 320 | 64 348 | 0.34 |
| 90–94 | 5 915 | 15 747 | 21 662 | 0.11 |
| 95–99 | 1 980 | 3 013 | 4 993 | 0.03 |
| 100+ | 1 002 | 831 | 1 832 | 0.01 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 2 881 696 | 2 715 129 | 5 596 825 | 29.46 |
| 15–64 | 5 807 898 | 6 105 548 | 11 913 446 | 62.70 |
| 65+ | 533 995 | 956 722 | 1 490 717 | 7.84 |
Structure of the population :
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 9 160 399 | 9 719 153 | 18 879 552 | 100 |
| 0–15 | 2 980 297 | 2 809 236 | 5 789 533 | 30.7 |
| 16–62 | 5 524 137 | 5 485 235 | 11 009 372 | 58.3 |
| 63+ | 655 965 | 1 424 682 | 2 080 647 | 11.0 |
The age group under 15 is considered below the working age, while the age group over 63 is above the working age.
Vital statistics
Births and deaths
Notable events in Kazakh demographics:| Average population | Live births1 | Deaths1 | Natural change1 | Crude birth rate | Crude death rate | Natural change | Crude migration change | Fertility rates | Life expectancy | |
| 1950 | 6,703,000 | 254,169 | 79,005 | 175,164 | 37.9 | 11.8 | 26.1 | - | - | |
| 1951 | 6,946,000 | 272,354 | 80,553 | 191,801 | 39.2 | 11.6 | 27.6 | 8.7 | - | - |
| 1952 | 7,133,000 | 265,235 | 85,241 | 179,994 | 37.2 | 12.0 | 25.2 | 1.7 | - | - |
| 1953 | 7,271,000 | 262,758 | 73,930 | 188,828 | 36.1 | 10.2 | 26.0 | -6.7 | - | - |
| 1954 | 7,528,000 | 278,420 | 76,092 | 202,328 | 37.0 | 10.1 | 26.9 | 8.4 | - | - |
| 1955 | 7,992,000 | 299,854 | 73,283 | 226,571 | 37.5 | 9.2 | 28.3 | 33.3 | - | - |
| 1956 | 8,426,000 | 305,430 | 64,807 | 240,623 | 36.3 | 7.7 | 28.6 | 25.7 | - | - |
| 1957 | 8,722,000 | 326,766 | 68,050 | 258,716 | 37.5 | 7.8 | 29.7 | 5.4 | - | - |
| 1958 | 9,077,000 | 336,020 | 62,680 | 273,340 | 37.0 | 6.9 | 30.1 | 10.6 | - | - |
| 1959 | 9,516,000 | 349,794 | 69,602 | 280,192 | 36.8 | 7.3 | 29.4 | 19.0 | - | - |
| 1960 | 9,996,000 | 372,595 | 65,667 | 306,928 | 37.2 | 6.6 | 30.7 | 19.7 | - | - |
| 1961 | 10,480,000 | 377,789 | 68,610 | 309,179 | 36.1 | 6.5 | 29.5 | 18.9 | - | - |
| 1962 | 10,958,000 | 369,002 | 70,952 | 298,050 | 33.7 | 6.5 | 27.2 | 18.4 | - | - |
| 1963 | 11,321,000 | 346,084 | 67,218 | 278,866 | 30.6 | 5.9 | 24.6 | 8.5 | - | - |
| 1964 | 11,610,000 | 324,412 | 66,197 | 258,215 | 27.9 | 5.7 | 22.2 | 3.3 | - | - |
| 1965 | 11,909,000 | 314,533 | 69,803 | 244,730 | 26.4 | 5.9 | 20.6 | 5.2 | - | - |
| 1966 | 12,185,000 | 307,905 | 69,402 | 238,503 | 25.3 | 5.7 | 19.6 | 3.6 | - | - |
| 1967 | 12,456,000 | 301,715 | 71,824 | 229,891 | 24.2 | 5.8 | 18.5 | 3.7 | - | - |
| 1968 | 12,694,000 | 296,882 | 73,496 | 223,386 | 23.4 | 5.8 | 17.6 | 1.5 | - | - |
| 1969 | 12,901,000 | 297,129 | 78,660 | 218,469 | 23.0 | 6.1 | 16.9 | -0.6 | - | - |
| 1970 | 13,106,000 | 301,451 | 77,619 | 223,832 | 23.0 | 5.9 | 17.1 | -1.2 | - | - |
| 1971 | 13,321,000 | 317,423 | 79,881 | 237,542 | 23.8 | 6.0 | 17.8 | -1.4 | - | - |
| 1972 | 13,534,000 | 318,551 | 85,122 | 233,429 | 23.5 | 6.3 | 17.2 | -1.2 | - | - |
| 1973 | 13,742,000 | 321,075 | 90,282 | 230,793 | 23.4 | 6.6 | 16.8 | -1.4 | - | - |
| 1974 | 13,955,000 | 338,291 | 93,582 | 244,709 | 24.2 | 6.7 | 17.5 | -2.0 | - | - |
| 1975 | 14,136,000 | 343,668 | 101,865 | 241,803 | 24.3 | 7.2 | 17.1 | -4.1 | - | - |
| 1976 | 14,279,000 | 350,362 | 103,892 | 246,470 | 24.5 | 7.3 | 17.3 | -7.2 | - | - |
| 1977 | 14,425,000 | 349,379 | 105,376 | 244,003 | 24.2 | 7.3 | 16.9 | -6.7 | - | - |
| 1978 | 14,589,000 | 355,337 | 107,293 | 248,044 | 24.4 | 7.4 | 17.0 | -5.6 | - | - |
| 1979 | 14,743,000 | 354,320 | 113,687 | 240,633 | 24.0 | 7.7 | 16.3 | -5.7 | - | - |
| 1980 | 14,884,000 | 356,013 | 119,078 | 236,935 | 23.9 | 8.0 | 15.9 | -6.3 | - | - |
| 1981 | 15,033,000 | 367,950 | 120,974 | 246,976 | 24.5 | 8.0 | 16.4 | -6.4 | - | - |
| 1982 | 15,185,000 | 373,416 | 120,165 | 253,251 | 24.6 | 7.9 | 16.7 | -6.6 | - | - |
| 1983 | 15,334,000 | 378,577 | 123,807 | 254,770 | 24.7 | 8.1 | 16.6 | -6.8 | - | - |
| 1984 | 15,481,000 | 399,403 | 129,796 | 269,607 | 25.8 | 8.4 | 17.4 | -7.8 | 3.04 | - |
| 1985 | 15,623,000 | 396,929 | 126,786 | 270,143 | 25.4 | 8.1 | 17.3 | -8.1 | 3.02 | - |
| 1986 | 15,776,000 | 410,846 | 119,149 | 291,697 | 26.0 | 7.6 | 18.5 | -8.7 | 3.13 | - |
| 1987 | 15,948,000 | 417,139 | 122,835 | 294,304 | 26.2 | 7.7 | 18.5 | -7.6 | 3.19 | - |
| 1988 | 16,188,000 | 407,116 | 126,898 | 280,218 | 25.3 | 7.9 | 17.4 | -2.4 | 3.13 | - |
| 1989 | 16,243,000 | 382,269 | 126,378 | 255,891 | 23.5 | 7.8 | 15.8 | -12.4 | 2.81 | - |
| 1990 | 16,328,000 | 362,081 | 128,576 | 233,505 | 22.2 | 7.9 | 14.3 | -9.1 | 2.72 | - |
| 1991 | 16,405,000 | 353,174 | 134,324 | 218,850 | 21.5 | 8.2 | 13.3 | -8.6 | 2.67 | - |
| 1992 | 16,439,000 | 337,612 | 137,518 | 200,094 | 20.5 | 8.4 | 12.2 | -10.1 | 2.62 | - |
| 1993 | 16,381,000 | 315,482 | 156,070 | 159,412 | 19.3 | 9.5 | 9.7 | -13.2 | 2.54 | - |
| 1994 | 16,146,000 | 305,624 | 160,339 | 145,285 | 18.9 | 9.9 | 9.0 | -23.3 | 2.43 | - |
| 1995 | 15,816,000 | 276,125 | 168,656 | 107,469 | 17.5 | 10.7 | 6.8 | -27.2 | 2.21 | - |
| 1996 | 15,578,000 | 253,175 | 166,028 | 87,147 | 16.3 | 10.7 | 5.6 | -20.6 | 2.02 | - |
| 1997 | 15,334,000 | 232,356 | 160,138 | 72,218 | 15.2 | 10.4 | 4.7 | -20.4 | 1.93 | - |
| 1998 | 15,072,000 | 222,380 | 154,314 | 68,066 | 14.8 | 10.2 | 4.5 | -21.6 | 1.81 | - |
| 1999 | 14,939,000 | 217,578 | 147,416 | 70,162 | 14.6 | 9.9 | 4.7 | -13.5 | 1.80 | 65.6 |
| 2000 | 14,883,626 | 222,054 | 149,778 | 72,276 | 14.9 | 10.1 | 4.9 | -8.6 | 1.88 | 65.5 |
| 2001 | 14,858,335 | 221,487 | 147,876 | 73,611 | 14.9 | 9.9 | 5.0 | -6.7 | 1.84 | 65.8 |
| 2002 | 14,858,948 | 227,171 | 149,381 | 77,790 | 15.3 | 10.1 | 5.2 | -5.2 | 1.88 | 66.0 |
| 2003 | 14,909,018 | 247,946 | 155,277 | 92,669 | 16.6 | 10.4 | 6.2 | -2.8 | 2.03 | 65.8 |
| 2004 | 15,012,985 | 273,028 | 152,250 | 120,778 | 18.2 | 10.1 | 8.1 | -1.1 | 2.21 | 66.2 |
| 2005 | 15,147,029 | 278,977 | 157,121 | 121,856 | 18.4 | 10.4 | 8.1 | 0.8 | 2.22 | 65.9 |
| 2006 | 15,308,084 | 301,756 | 157,210 | 144,546 | 19.7 | 10.3 | 9.4 | 1.2 | 2.36 | 66.2 |
| 2007 | 15,484,192 | 321,963 | 158,297 | 163,666 | 20.8 | 10.2 | 10.6 | 0.9 | 2.47 | 66.3 |
| 2008 | 15,674,000 | 357,555 | 152,878 | 204,677 | 22.8 | 9.8 | 13.0 | -0.7 | 2.68 | 67.1 |
| 2009 | 16,092,822 | 356,261 | 142,883 | 213,378 | 22.1 | 8.9 | 13.3 | 13.4 | 2.55 | 68.4 |
| 2010 | 16,321,872 | 367,707 | 146,027 | 221,680 | 22.5 | 9.0 | 13.6 | 0.6 | 2.59 | 68.5 |
| 2011 | 16,557,201 | 372,690 | 144,323 | 228,367 | 22.5 | 8.7 | 13.8 | 0.6 | 2.59 | 68.7 |
| 2012 | 16,792,089 | 381,153 | 143,411 | 237,742 | 22.7 | 8.5 | 14.2 | 0 | 2.62 | 69.5 |
| 2013 | 17,035,550 | 387,256 | 136,368 | 250,888 | 22.7 | 8.0 | 14.7 | -0.2 | 2.64 | 70.6 |
| 2014 | 17,288,285 | 399,309 | 132,287 | 267,022 | 23.1 | 7.7 | 15.5 | -0.7 | 2.73 | 71.4 |
| 2015 | 17,542,806 | 398,458 | 130,811 | 267,647 | 22.7 | 7.5 | 15.3 | -0.6 | 2.74 | 72.0 |
| 2016 | 17,794,055 | 400,694 | 131,231 | 269,463 | 22.5 | 7.4 | 15.2 | -0.9 | 2.77 | 72.4 |
| 2017 | 18,037,775 | 390,262 | 129,009 | 261,253 | 21.6 | 7.2 | 14.5 | -0.8 | 2.75 | 73.0 |
| 2018 | 18,276,452 | 397,799 | 130,448 | 267,351 | 21.8 | 7.1 | 14.6 | -1.4 | 2.84 | 73.2 |
| 2019 | 18,513,673 | 402,310 | 133,128 | 269,182 | 21.7 | 7.2 | 14.5 | -1.5 | 2.90 | 73.2 |
| 2020 | 18,755,665 | 426,824 | 161,333 | 265,491 | 22.8 | 8.6 | 14.2 | -1.1 | 3.13 | 71.4 |
| 2021 | 19,000,987 | 446,491 | 182,403 | 264,088 | 23.5 | 9.6 | 13.9 | -0.8 | 3.32 | 70.2 |
| 2022 | 19,634,983 | 403,893 | 133,523 | 270,370 | 20.6 | 6.8 | 13.8 | 19.6 | 3.05 | 74.4 |
| 2023 | 19,900,325 | 388,428 | 130,686 | 257,742 | 19.5 | 6.6 | 13.0 | 0.5 | 2.96 | 75.1 |
| 2024 | 20,159,963 | 365,923 | 132,900 | 233,078 | 18.2 | 6.6 | 11.6 | 0.9 | 2.83 | 75.4 |
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