Kazakhstan remains Central Asia’s largest economy, study

Kazakhstan accounts for approximately 54% of Central Asia’s combined GDP, retaining its position as the region’s largest economy, El.kz reports citing the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies.

At the end of 2025, Kazakhstan’s economy reached KZT 159.6 trln , equivalent to approximately USD 306 bln.

The data were presented by Dastan Akebayev, Deputy Chairman of the Economic Research Institute, at the National Think Tank Forum in Astana. According to him, the country’s real economic growth over the past five years amounted to 21.3%.

At the same time, the structure of the economy is changing. The contribution of manufacturing, private-sector activity, investment, and domestic demand is increasing.

Last year, manufacturing output reached KZT 30.7 trln. Compared with 2021, the industrial production index in this sector increased by 23.4%.

GDP per capita amounted to KZT 7.8 mln, exceeding USD 15,000. Over the five-year period, the indicator increased by 77.2% in national currency terms and by 44.7% in US dollar terms.

Gross fixed capital formation reached KZT 23.5 trln, increasing by more than half compared with the 2021 level.

The small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector also continues to expand. It employs 4.53 mln people, while the number of active SME entities has reached 2.18 mln.

The share of SMEs in the country’s GDP increased to 40.9%, rising by 7.4 % points over the past five years.