Basic Facts

Official name

Republic of Kazakhstan

Capital

Astana

Area

2,717,300 sq km

1,049,200 sq mi

People

Population

16,763,795 (2003 estimate)

Population growth

Population growth rate

0.17 percent (2003 estimate)

Projected population in 2025

19,044,611 (2025 estimate)

Projected population in 2050

21,027,453 (2050 estimate)

Population density

6.2 persons per sq km (2003 estimate)

16 persons per sq mi (2003 estimate)

Urban/rural distribution

Share urban

56 percent (2001 estimate)

Share rural

44 percent (2001 estimate)

Largest cities, with population

Almaty

1,129,000 (2000 estimate)

Qaraghandy

437,000 (2000 estimate)

Shymkent

360,000 (2000 estimate)

Semey

269,800 (1999 estimate)

Öskemen

311,300 (1999 estimate)

Ethnic groups

Kazakh (Qazaq)

46 percent

Russian

35 percent

Ukrainian

5 percent

German

3 percent

Uzbek

2 percent

Tatar

2 percent

Other

7 percent

Languages

Kazakh (Qazaq, official language); Russian (language of interethnic communication)

Religious affiliations

Muslim

43 percent

Atheist

11 percent

Orthodox Christian

10 percent

Roman Catholic

3 percent

Nonreligious

29 percent

Other

4 percent

Health and Education

Life expectancy

Total

63.5 years (2003 estimate)

Female

69.1 years (2003 estimate)

Male

58.2 years (2003 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

59 deaths per 1,000 live births (2003 estimate)

Population per physician

232 people (1999)

Population per hospital bed

121 people (1997)

Literacy rate

Total

99.6 percent (1995)

Female

99.5 percent (1995)

Male

99.7 percent (1995)

Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP)

4.4 percent (1997)

Number of years of compulsory schooling

11 years (2000)

Number of students per teacher, primary school

19 students per teacher (1997)

Government

Form of government

Republic

Voting qualifications

Universal at age 18

Constitution

Adopted 6 September 1995; amended 1998

Armed forces

Total number of military personnel

60,000 (2001)

Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP)

1.3 percent (2001)

Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$)

$22.4 billion (2001)

GDP per capita (U.S.$)

$1,500 (2001)

GDP by economic sector

Agriculture, forestry, fishing

9 percent (2001)

Industry

38.8 percent (2001)

Services

52.3 percent (2001)

Employment

Number of workers

7,324,023 (2001)

Workforce share of economic sector

Agriculture, forestry, fishing

22 percent (1999)

Industry

18 percent (1999)

Services

60 percent (1999)

Unemployment rate

13.7 percent (1998)

National budget (U.S.$)

Total revenue

$2,072 million (2000)

Total expenditure

$2,622 million (2000)

Monetary unit

1 tenge (T), consisting of 100 tein

Major trade partners for exports

Russia, Bermuda, Italy, China, and Germany

Major trade partners for imports

Russia, Germany, United States, United Kingdom, and Italy

Energy, Communications, and Transportation

Electricity production

Electricity from thermal sources

84.33 percent (2001 estimate)

Electricity from hydroelectric sources

15.67 percent (2001 estimate)

Electricity from nuclear sources

0 percent (2001 estimate)

Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources

0 percent (2001 estimate)

Number of radios per 1,000 people

395 (1997)

Number of telephones per 1,000 people

113 (2000)

Number of televisions per 1,000 people

233 (2000 estimate)

Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people

6.8 (2001)

Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people

30 (1996)

Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people

84 (1999)

Paved road as a share of total roads

95 percent (2000)

Sources

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.