Kazakh Women Are Having Fewer And Fewer Children — The Lowest Level In Nearly Two Decades

The birth rate in Kazakhstan has fallen to its lowest level in 16 years. In 2025, about 335,000 children were born in the country, 8 % fewer than a year earlier. That is close to the 2007 level, Orda.kz reports, citing DataHub.

The total fertility rate stood at 2.57. On average, one woman gives birth to a little more than two and a half children over her lifetime. The indicator has been declining for the fourth year in a row after the spike seen during the pandemic in 2021.

At the same time, the number of women of childbearing age in the country has reached a record 4.79 million. But they are giving birth less and less often.

It should be noted that alongside the total fertility rate, the crude birth rate, which reflects the number of births per 1,000 people, is also declining. The 2025 figure is the lowest in 23 years. At the same time, the overall mortality rate has remained at historically low levels over the past four years, averaging 6.64. the study shows. 

According to the researchers, this trend points to a demographic transition. The country is moving from high birth and death rates to lower ones.

The population is still growing, but more slowly. In 2025, growth was 1.1 %, the lowest in at least 20 years. The total population reached 20.5 million people.

Original author: Saule Abdykamit

Read also:

• Kazakhstan Sees Record Rural Outflow
• Kazakhstan's Demographic Changes Over The Year: Birth Rates, Marriages, and Migration
• Kazakhstan’s Population Trends: Statistics Emerge