Over 4.5 mln people employed in Kazakhstan’s SMEs sector

Over the past seven years, employment in Kazakhstan’s small and medium-sized business sector has increased by 36.7%. More than 4.5 million people are currently employed in the sector. A total of 10.2 trillion tenge in loans has been provided to support entrepreneurship.

According to the Bureau of National Statistics, 4,527,381 people are currently employed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This represents 48.6% of the country’s total employed population. By comparison, the sector employed 3.3 million people in 2018.

Over the same period, the number of active SME entities increased by 63.5%, reaching 2.2 million.

The volume of goods produced and services provided has also increased significantly. By the end of 2025, it had grown 3.2-fold to 104.8 trillion tenge. The SME sector’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached 40.9%.

Individual entrepreneurs account for the largest share of businesses in the sector, representing 69% of all SME entities. They provide employment for more than 2 million people.

In terms of the number of businesses, wholesale and retail trade ranks first, accounting for 35% of all business entities. At the same time, the manufacturing industry, construction and agricultural processing are identified as sectors with the greatest potential for job creation.

Women also play a significant role in entrepreneurship. They currently lead 48.1% of small and medium-sized businesses.

10.2 trln tenge allocated to business support

From 2019 to 2026, a total of 176,716 business projects received support from the Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund through preferential lending, interest rate subsidies and loan guarantees. The total value of loans provided to these projects amounted to 10.2 trillion tenge.

Businesses participating in state support programmes retained approximately 695,000 jobs and created 60,500 new jobs between 2019 and 2025.

During this period, these businesses produced goods and services worth 128 trillion tenge and paid 8.5 trillion tenge in taxes to the state budget.

Enhanced support for entrepreneurs in rural  areas and small towns

Kazakhstan has also introduced new mechanisms for financing entrepreneurship.

One of these, the Orleu programme, was launched in June 2025. It is designed to provide preferential lending to entrepreneurs operating in priority sectors of the economy.

Specifically, projects in manufacturing, information technology, tourism, the creative industries and logistics are eligible for financing of up to 7 billion tenge at an annual interest rate not exceeding 12.6%.

The Isker Aimaq programme is designed to promote micro and small businesses in rural areas and small towns. Under the programme, nearly 15,000 projects with a combined value of 1.2 trillion tenge are expected to receive support by 2029. Priority is given to agricultural processing, food production, furniture manufacturing, construction materials and traditional crafts.

In addition, two guarantee funds operate under the Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund, facilitating access to financing for small and medium-sized businesses as well as large-scale investment projects.

Overall, small and medium-sized enterprises are becoming one of the most important sources of employment in Kazakhstan. In the coming years, government support measures will focus on expanding businesses across the regions and creating new jobs.