Kazakhstan Sees Record Rural Outflow

Kazakhstan has set a 25-year record for rural population decline, with the highest net outflow of villagers ever recorded, Orda.kz reports, citing the First Credit Bureau.

Last year alone, 111,400 more people left villages than arrived, marking the steepest decline since records began in 2000. While rural depopulation has been a long-term trend, the scale of migration has now surged into the hundreds of thousands rather than just tens of thousands, as seen in previous years.

Experts note that every region in Kazakhstan experienced a negative migration balance for rural areas — except for Almaty ( +7,600 ) and Atyrau ( +275 ) regions. 

The biggest driver of this rural outflow was Turkistan, the country’s most densely populated region, which accounted for 26% of the total loss ( -29,200 ).

Even natural population growth couldn’t offset the migration losses. The difference between births and deaths amounted to 96.8 thousand. Thus, as a result of both processes - migration and natural movement - the rural population decreased by 14.6 thousand people compared to the previous year, analysts observed. 

Kazakhstan’s urban population grew by 266,800.

As of January 1, 2025, the country’s total population is 20,286,084.

Original Author: Raushan Korzhumbekova