Only Names Left: More Than 80 Villages Disappeared in Kazakhstan in a Year

The number of villages in Kazakhstan continues to decline. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, their number fell by 83 to approximately 6,100 in 2025 alone, Orda.kz reports.

The trend is not new; villages have been disappearing for around 25 years. According to analysts at the First Credit Bureau, the process has accelerated in recent years. While 46 villages were liquidated between 2020 and 2022, this figure rose to 199 between 2023 and 2025. Overall, Kazakhstan has lost around 1,800 rural settlements during the entire observation period.

Three northern regions accounted for most of the decline in 2025: North Kazakhstan, Akmola and Pavlodar. Together, they accounted for around 80% of the total reduction. In these regions, 68 villages were abolished, while only one new settlement, Nurly, appeared in Akmola Region's Tselinograd District near Astana.

According to the 2021 census, approximately 1,500 people lived in the 68 villages — 4.4 times fewer than in 2009. The largest village was Krasnoselskoye in the Akmola region, with 74 residents. In 62 of the 68 villages, the population did not exceed 50. Some were nearly empty: Malaya Paramonovka in the Pavlodar Region had no residents, while Mirny and Kalinovka in the North Kazakhstan Region had one and two residents respectively.

The reason for liquidation is straightforward: depopulation. Under the law, a settlement can be abolished if fewer than 50 people have lived there for three years. In practice, this usually means that the village is removed from the official register and incorporated into the nearest larger settlement. The decision is formally made after considering residents’ views expressed at a meeting.

Experts say that the mass closures suggest that there are still many settlements in the country where almost no one lives, largely due to migration to cities. Last year, the rural population grew only in the Almaty, Atyrau and Mangistau regions; elsewhere, villages continue to empty out.

Original author: Raushan Korzhumbekova