Kazakhstan’s GDP Grew by 6% in Early 2025, Driven by Transport and Trade

The country's GDP grew by six percent in the first quarter of 2025. Growth was recorded in all sectors, reports Orda.kz.

According to the Ministry of National Economy, from January to April 2025, the key drivers of the Kazakh economy were transport, trade, industry, and construction.

The transport sector showed the strongest growth — 22.4% — due to increased volumes of freight transportation by rail (20.5% of the sector’s total) and pipeline (19.6%).

The highest regional growth was recorded in Turkistan (21.8%), Abay (14.9%), and Jambyl (11.2%) regions.

Trade also showed stable progress: 7% compared to 6.3% in the first quarter. Wholesale trade rose to 7.4%, while retail increased to 6.1%. Some regions saw particularly sharp growth: Turkistan’s trade volume surged 60.4% due to active supplies of fruits, vegetables, and medicines; Aqmola rose 44% due to grain, feed, and seeds; and Shymkent saw a 19.8% increase, helped by diesel fuel, pharmaceuticals, and scrap metal.

The industrial production index stood at 6.4%. The mining sector grew by 7.1%, boosted by an 11.2% increase in coal output. The manufacturing sector rose by 7.2%, with food production up 12%, chemical and mechanical engineering up 11.2%, and tobacco products up 26.3%.

Agriculture grew by 3.9%, and the volume of construction work increased by 16.2%. The government has ordered tighter oversight of construction project timelines and budgets to avoid delays and cost overruns.

Despite current growth, many Kazakhstan's financial experts have revised their forecasts. According to the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan (AFK), analysts expect oil prices to fall and GDP growth to slow to 3.9% by 2026.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov