In 2025, Kazakhstan accepted 16,805 ethnic Kazakhs who returned to their historical homeland and received the status of kandas, according to information from the press service of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population.
According to the Ministry of Labor, among the newcomers, 44.5% are from Uzbekistan, 44.1% from China, 4% from Turkmenistan, 3% from Mongolia, 2.5% from Russia, and 1.9% come from other countries.
Of the total number of ethnic migrants who returned in 2025, 57.4% are of working age, 34% are minors, and 8.6% are pensioners. Among the kandas of working age, 15% have higher education, 27.5% have secondary specialized education, 51.2% have general secondary education, and 6.3% have no education.
Regions with a labor shortage were designated for the resettlement of kandas, including Akmolinsk, Kostanay, Pavlodar, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan regions, and Abai region. By the end of 2025, 2,309 kandas were resettled to these regions.
Additionally, the ministry reported that in 2025, various support was provided to 1,834 kandas. In particular, 428 individuals were able to find permanent employment, and 586 families received certificates for economic mobility for the purchase or construction of housing.
Since the country's independence in 1991, 1,164,800 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to Kazakhstan.
