Kazakhstan’s Industry Sees Early-Year Slowdown

According to the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS), industrial output in Kazakhstan fell by 6,6% in January year-on-year (in real terms, adjusted for inflation). The year-on-year decline may partly reflect seasonal effects, but it was particularly pronounced in January 2026, Orda.kz reports

In January, industrial enterprises produced goods worth 4.2 trillion tenge. Compared with December 2025, output fell by 21,5% — a sharper month-on-month decline than in January 2025.

A year earlier, the industrial production index (which tracks the value of output adjusted for sectoral inflation) fell by 13,8% month-on-month and rose by 2,3% year-on-year.

The largest year-on-year drop was recorded in mining (down 19,9%), driven by lower output of oil (down 31,9%), gas (down 28,7%), and other minerals (down 11,2%). By contrast, manufacturing grew by 4,4%, supported by growth in food production (up 11,3%), tobacco products (up 1.7 times), and pharmaceuticals (up 41,7%).

Regionally, output increased the most in Turkestan Region (up 22,4% year-on-year). Zhetysu Region (up 14,4%) and Zhambyl Region (up 13,6%) were also among the top three. Six regions posted declines, with the steepest fall in Atyrau Region (down 37,5%).

Original author: Alexey Afonsky