GDP per Capita · Data & Comparison
Kazakhstan GDP per Capita
How has Kazakhstan's GDP per capita evolved from a Soviet-era low to its current level?
Kazakhstan's GDP per capita in 2024 stands at USD 14,307 in nominal terms. Adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), the figure is USD 41,322, a ratio of 2.89. This gap reflects lower domestic price levels and the legacy of a transition economy. The nominal figure has risen from USD 1,570 in 1990, though it fell to USD 1,112 by 1999. The 2000s saw a surge to USD 7,052 by 2009, and the 2010s ended at USD 9,635. The 2020s have already seen a 59.8% increase from 2020 to 2024. GNI per capita, a related measure, was USD 12,090 in 2024, 15.5% below GDP per capita. This page examines the long-run series, the nominal-PPP distinction, the drivers of Kazakhstan's income per person, and how it compares with peers. It also considers what the headline figure does not capture, such as distribution and the role of oil.
What is GDP per capita (nominal)?
GDP per capita is a country's GDP divided by its midyear population. It is the most common shorthand for average income or output per person.
How it is measured. Nominal GDP in current US dollars divided by midyear population. Because it uses market exchange rates, it ignores price-level differences between countries and says nothing about how income is distributed.
How to read it. Use it to compare average economic output per person. A high value can reflect high productivity or a small population with large resource or financial income, and it is not the same as median household income.
Source: World Bank WDI. See our methodology.
Current GDP Per Capita: Nominal vs PPP
Current GDP Per Capita: Nominal vs PPP
In 2024, Kazakhstan's nominal GDP per capita reached USD 14,306.98, up from USD 8,951.75 in 2020, a rise of 59.8 per cent across the five recorded points of the 2020s. The PPP measure for the same year stands at USD 41,321.53, roughly 2.9 times the nominal figure. Nominal GDP for 2024 was USD 291.48 billion, against a 2020 total of USD 171.08 billion, a 70.4 per cent increase. The gap between the two per capita measures reflects differences in domestic price levels rather than differences in output.
What the Two Measures Capture
Nominal GDP per capita divides current-price output by the population. It is the figure used in international dollar comparisons at market exchange rates. PPP per capita adjusts for the purchasing power of the tenge within Kazakhstan, so a given income buys a different basket than the nominal figure implies. The 2024 spread of USD 27,014.55 between the two measures indicates that domestic prices, converted at market rates, are lower than the comparator average. Both figures derive from the same output base: USD 291.48 billion in 2024, with growth of 4.9 per cent that year.
The PPP series has risen faster in relative terms over the long run. From USD 7,874.19 in 1990 to USD 41,321.53 in 2024, the PPP measure grew by a factor of 5.2. The nominal measure moved from USD 1,570.01 in 1990 to USD 14,306.98, a factor of 9.1. The nominal series carries more exchange-rate and price volatility, visible in the 1990s contraction of 29.2 per cent nominal against 15.7 per cent on a PPP basis.
Why Both Figures Matter
The nominal figure governs external comparisons: debt service, import capacity and dollar-denominated contracts are set against market-rate income. At USD 14,306.98, Kazakhstan sits in the upper-middle-income band on nominal terms. The PPP figure of USD 41,321.53 places domestic living standards closer to upper-income peers, since it reflects what households can actually buy. GNI per capita for 2024 was USD 12,090.00, below nominal GDP per capita, indicating net income flows out of the economy.
Divergence between the measures also signals price-level convergence. The 2020s PPP mean of USD 35,943.79 against a nominal mean of USD 11,565.18 shows a persistent ratio near 3.1. A narrowing ratio over time would indicate domestic prices catching up with trading partners, itself a feature of real convergence. For income analysis, the PPP series is the better guide to household welfare; the nominal series is the better guide to external purchasing power. The 2024 growth rate of 4.9 per cent feeds both measures equally.
- Nominal GDP per capita 2024: USD 14,306.98
- PPP GDP per capita 2024: USD 41,321.53
- Nominal to PPP ratio: approximately 2.9
- GNI per capita 2024: USD 12,090.00
- Real GDP growth 2024: 4.9 per cent
Latest GDP per Capita and Related Measures, 2024
| Measure | Value (USD) | Year |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 14,307 | 2024 |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 41,322 | 2024 |
| GNI per capita (nominal) | 12,090 | 2024 |
| GDP (nominal, billions) | 291.5 | 2024 |
The Long Arc: GDP Per Capita by Decade Since 1980
Late Soviet Baseline and the 1990s Contraction
GDP per capita stood at USD 1,570 in 1990, the first year in the series. By 1999 it had fallen to USD 1,112, a cumulative decline of 29.2 per cent across the decade. The trough came earlier, at USD 803, and the decade mean was USD 1,208. The contraction tracked the wider economy: GDP fell 37.4 per cent over the same period and real output shrank in eight of the nine years from 1991, with a low of minus 12.6 per cent.
The PPP measure shows a milder path. GDP per capita at purchasing power parity began at USD 7,874 in 1990 and ended the decade at USD 6,637, a fall of 15.7 per cent. The gap between the two series reflects the exchange-rate collapse and price liberalisation of the transition years rather than a smaller real-income shock.
The 2000s Oil Boom
The 2000s produced the steepest expansion in the series. GDP per capita rose from USD 1,205 in 2000 to USD 7,052 in 2009, growth of 485.4 per cent, with a decade peak of USD 8,319 and a mean of USD 3,990. Gross domestic product grew 530.4 per cent over the same ten years, from USD 18.3 billion to USD 115.3 billion. Real GDP growth averaged 8.6 per cent annually, peaking at 13.5 per cent.
The PPP series moved from USD 7,446 in 2000 to USD 17,380 in 2009, a gain of 133.4 per cent. GNI per capita, which starts in 1993 at USD 1,350, reached USD 6,580 by 2009, growth of 439.3 per cent for the decade. Rising hydrocarbon prices and output drove the expansion, and the 2008 to 2009 slowdown is visible in the 2009 growth rate of 1.2 per cent.
Stabilisation in the 2010s
The 2010s opened at USD 8,932 and closed at USD 9,635, growth of 7.9 per cent over ten years. The decade peak of USD 13,685 was not sustained, and the mean of USD 10,522 sits above both endpoints. GDP grew 22.7 per cent across the decade, from USD 148.0 billion to USD 181.7 billion, while real growth averaged 4.5 per cent and never exceeded 7.5 per cent.
The PPP series rose from USD 18,621 in 2010 to USD 29,229 in 2019, a gain of 57.0 per cent. GNI per capita moved from USD 7,210 to USD 8,500, growth of 17.9 per cent, with a decade high of USD 11,720. The 2015 currency adjustment and weaker commodity prices explain the divergence between the peak and the 2019 level.
The 2020s to Date
The 2020s begin at USD 8,952 in 2020, the year real GDP fell 2.5 per cent, and end at USD 14,307 in 2024, growth of 59.8 per cent across five points. The 2024 figure is the series high. GDP reached USD 291.5 billion in 2024, up 70.4 per cent from USD 171.1 billion in 2020, and real growth was 4.9 per cent.
PPP GDP per capita rose from USD 29,603 in 2020 to USD 41,322 in 2024, growth of 39.6 per cent, with a five-year mean of USD 35,944. GNI per capita moved from USD 8,380 to USD 12,090, a gain of 44.3 per cent. The nominal and PPP series now diverge by a factor of roughly 2.9, reflecting price-level differences rather than output differences.
GDP per Capita at Decade Boundaries, 1990-2024
| Year | GDP per capita (USD) | GDP per capita PPP (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,570 | 7,874 |
| 1999 | 1,112 | 6,637 |
| 2009 | 7,052 | 17,380 |
| 2019 | 9,635 | 29,229 |
| 2024 | 14,307 | 41,322 |
What Drives Kazakhstan's Income Per Person
Oil and Gas Exports
Hydrocarbons anchor Kazakhstan's income per person. GDP per capita rose from USD 1,204.5 in 2000 to USD 7,051.6 in 2009, a 485.4 per cent increase across the decade, tracking the commodity upswing that lifted crude output and prices together. Growth moderated after 2010, with the 2010s delivering only 7.9 per cent across ten years, from USD 8,931.8 to USD 9,635.1. The 2020s have returned 59.8 per cent, reaching USD 14,307.0 in 2024. These swings follow oil price cycles more closely than domestic productivity, which is why headline income per head is volatile relative to the PPP measure of USD 41,321.5 in 2024.
State-Owned Enterprises and the Wealth Fund
A large share of output sits with state-owned or state-controlled enterprises in energy, mining and transport. The National Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan, created in 2000, captures a portion of resource revenues as a fiscal buffer and savings vehicle. Gross national income per capita reached USD 12,090.0 in 2024 against GDP per capita of USD 14,307.0, a gap that reflects income flows and the fund's absorption of resource rents. GNI per capita grew 44.3 per cent over the 2020s, from USD 8,380.0 to USD 12,090.0, broadly parallel to GDP per capita but consistently below it.
Landlocked Geography and Pipeline Dependence
Kazakhstan is landlocked and exports most crude through Russian pipeline systems, principally the CPC route to the Black Sea. This concentrates transit risk in a single corridor, and the 2022 disruptions to CPC loadings illustrated the exposure. Diversification efforts include the Atyrau to Alashankou line to China and tanker movements across the Caspian. The geography raises transport costs per barrel and constrains non-resource exports. GDP growth averaged 2.97 per cent across the 2020s, with a contraction of 2.55 per cent in 2020 and a recovery to 4.9 per cent in 2024, a profile consistent with commodity and transit shocks rather than domestic demand cycles.
Composition of Output
GDP reached USD 291.5 billion in 2024, up 70.4 per cent from USD 171.1 billion in 2020. The 2000s expansion was far larger in relative terms, with GDP rising 530.4 per cent from USD 18.3 billion to USD 115.3 billion. The concentration of that base in extractive sectors means income per person responds to global prices, OPEC+ production decisions and rouble and tenge movements. Non-oil sectors, including agriculture, construction and services, contribute a smaller and slower-growing share. The PPP figure of USD 41,321.5 in 2024 sits well above the nominal USD 14,307.0, reflecting lower domestic price levels relative to traded goods.
Structural Constraints
Three factors limit convergence with higher-income economies. First, capital intensity in oil and gas means employment per unit of output is low, so income gains do not spread widely through wages. Second, the sovereign fund smooths fiscal revenue but insulates part of the resource rent from domestic investment. Third, transit dependence on Russian territory adds a geopolitical premium to export logistics. GNI per capita of USD 12,090.0 in 2024 remains below the GDP per capita figure, indicating that a meaningful share of domestic output accrues to capital and external claimants rather than resident households.
Key Economic Indicators, 2024
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| GDP (nominal, billions USD) | 291.5 |
| GDP growth (%) | 4.9 |
| GDP per capita (USD) | 14,307 |
| GNI per capita (USD) | 12,090 |
How Kazakhstan Compares with Peers and What the Figure Does Not Capture
Regional Standing
Kazakhstan's GDP per capita reached USD 14,307 in 2024, up from USD 1,112 in 1999. On a purchasing power parity basis the figure is USD 41,322, a level that places the country above several Central Asian neighbours and closer to the upper-middle-income band. The PPP measure is roughly 2.9 times the nominal value, reflecting lower domestic price levels. Against the 2019 nominal figure of USD 9,635, the 2024 level represents an increase of about 48 per cent across five years, though part of that movement reflects exchange rate and price effects rather than output alone.
What the Headline Leaves Out
GDP per capita is an average, not a distribution. GNI per capita, at USD 12,090 in 2024, sits below the GDP measure by roughly USD 2,217, a gap consistent with net income flows leaving the economy. The GNI series also shows a different path: a 44.3 per cent rise across the 2020s against 59.8 per cent for GDP per capita. Neither indicator reports the spread of income across households. A single national average cannot show whether gains are concentrated in resource-producing regions or spread across the population, and Kazakhstan's oil and metals base makes that distinction material.
Composition and Volatility
The aggregate is sensitive to output composition. GDP grew 70.4 per cent across the 2020s, from USD 171.1 billion in 2020 to USD 291.5 billion in 2024, while GDP growth averaged 2.97 per cent over the same five years. The divergence between nominal expansion and real growth points to price and currency effects embedded in the per capita series. A 2020 contraction of 2.55 per cent, followed by a 4.9 per cent expansion in 2024, shows how a single year can move the headline without changing underlying productivity. Per capita figures also divide by total population, so demographic change shifts the result independently of output.
Non-Market Dimensions
- Unpaid household work and informal activity sit outside the national accounts and are not captured in the USD 14,307 figure.
- Environmental degradation and resource depletion are not deducted, despite the weight of extractive industry in GDP.
- Public service quality, health outcomes and education attainment are not reflected in an income average.
- Regional dispersion within Kazakhstan is not visible at national level.
Cross-country comparison also depends on the conversion method. The nominal figure of USD 14,307 and the PPP figure of USD 41,322 rank Kazakhstan differently against peers, and the choice of measure changes the conclusion. GNI per capita of USD 12,090 offers a third reference point. None of the three captures household purchasing power after taxes and transfers, which is the measure closest to lived income.
Reading the Figure
The headline indicates scale, not welfare. A rise from USD 1,570 in 1990 to USD 14,307 in 2024 is a 9.1-fold nominal increase, but the 1990s alone saw a 29.2 per cent decline to USD 1,112 by 1999. The series therefore records both expansion and contraction, and the 2024 level should be read alongside GNI per capita of USD 12,090 and the PPP measure of USD 41,322 rather than in isolation.
Kazakhstan vs Selected Peers, 2024 (GDP per capita, USD)
| Country | GDP per capita (USD) |
|---|---|
| Kazakhstan | 14,307 |
| Russia | 14,391 |
| Turkmenistan | 13,065 |
| Uzbekistan | 3,518 |
Frequently asked questions
What is Kazakhstan's GDP per capita in current US dollars?
Kazakhstan's GDP per capita was USD 13,137 in 2023, up from USD 11,484 in 2022, according to World Bank data. The 2022 figure marked a strong rebound after the 2020 contraction, when the measure fell to USD 9,122. In tenge terms the 2023 value was about KZT 6.0 million per person, reflecting both nominal growth and exchange-rate movement. The dollar series is sensitive to the tenge's value against the US currency, so year-to-year changes mix real output, inflation and currency effects. On a purchasing-power-parity basis the IMF puts the 2023 figure near USD 34,000, a much higher level that adjusts for lower domestic price levels.
How has Kazakhstan's GDP per capita changed since 1991?
Kazakhstan's GDP per capita stood at roughly USD 700 in 1993, the earliest comparable World Bank observation, and reached USD 13,137 in 2023, an increase of about 18 times in current dollars. The path was not linear: output fell sharply in the early 1990s, recovered from 1999, and rose steeply during the 2000s oil boom, passing USD 10,000 for the first time in 2011. The 2015 tenge devaluation cut the dollar figure from USD 12,807 in 2013 to USD 7,715 in 2016. In PPP terms the rise is smoother, from about USD 6,000 in the mid-1990s to around USD 34,000 in 2023.
Is Kazakhstan's GDP per capita higher or lower than other Central Asian countries?
Kazakhstan has the highest GDP per capita in Central Asia. Its 2023 figure of USD 13,137 compares with about USD 4,000 for Uzbekistan and roughly USD 2,000 for Kyrgyzstan, a gap of more than three times. The position reflects Kazakhstan's oil, gas and metals endowment and a population of about 20 million spread over 2.7 million square kilometres. Turkmenistan's reported figure is higher in some years but is not reliably comparable. Within the wider CIS, Kazakhstan sits below Russia, at about USD 13,800 in 2023, and well below the European Union average of roughly USD 40,000.
What drives changes in Kazakhstan's GDP per capita?
Two factors dominate: hydrocarbon output and the tenge exchange rate. Oil and gas account for roughly 20 per cent of GDP and about half of exports, so shifts in the Brent price move national income quickly. The 2014-2016 price fall, combined with the 2015 float of the tenge, cut the dollar GDP per capita from USD 12,807 in 2013 to USD 7,715 in 2016. Population growth of about 1.3 per cent a year also dilutes per-capita gains. Non-oil sectors, including agriculture at roughly 5 per cent of GDP, contribute less to volatility but more to employment.
What is Kazakhstan's GDP per capita at purchasing power parity?
On a purchasing-power-parity basis, the IMF estimates Kazakhstan's GDP per capita at about USD 34,000 for 2023, against a current-dollar figure of USD 13,137. The gap of roughly 2.6 times reflects lower domestic prices for non-traded goods and services, a common pattern for middle-income economies. The PPP measure places Kazakhstan close to Russia and above Turkey, at about USD 38,000 and USD 33,000 respectively in 2023. PPP figures are better for comparing living standards across countries, while current-dollar figures are better for measuring the size of the economy in global markets.
Is Kazakhstan's GDP per capita growing or shrinking?
It is growing in nominal terms. World Bank data show GDP per capita of USD 11,484 in 2022 rising to USD 13,137 in 2023, an increase of about 14 per cent. Real GDP grew 5.1 per cent in 2023 and 3.2 per cent in 2024, so per-capita output in constant prices also rose, though more slowly because population grew about 1.3 per cent a year. The current-dollar series can fall even when real output rises, as in 2015-2016, when tenge depreciation pushed the figure down. The 2024 current-dollar estimate is around USD 14,000.