As a result, the population growth for the past year was the lowest in the last one and a half decades.
Only five regions of Kazakhstan showed growth above the national average: these are three major cities, as well as Almaty and Mangistau regions.
The capital, Astana, demonstrated the highest migration growth, increasing by 7.16% and reaching 1.64 million residents. Shymkent grew by 2.98%, while Almaty showed a growth of 2.44%. These three megacities now account for more than a quarter of the total population of the country.
In 11 out of 20 regions of Kazakhstan, there was a decrease in population due to high migration. The decline affected the Zhambyl, Turkestan, West Kazakhstan, Kostanay, North Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, Karaganda, East Kazakhstan regions, as well as the Abai, Zhetysu, and Ulytau regions.
The largest population losses were recorded in the North Kazakhstan region (-1.53%), Abai (-1.19%), and Ulytau (-1.04%). In the North Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan, and Kostanay regions, there was a natural decrease in population, where the number of deaths exceeded the number of newborns.
The migration balance was positive only in the megacities, as well as in Almaty and Mangistau regions. In other regions, there is a population outflow that exceeds the number of incoming migrants. The leaders in migration outflow in 2025 were Turkestan region (-42.2 thousand people), Zhambyl region (-21.4 thousand), and Zhetysu (-12.4 thousand).
The urban population of Kazakhstan increased by 2.01% and reached 13,030 thousand people, while the number of rural residents decreased by 0.59%, reaching 7,466 thousand. The share of the urban population rose to 63.6%, while the share of the rural population was 36.4%.
