Kazakhstan sees 5.6-fold increase in cargo transit over decade

According to Kazakhstan's Bureau of National Statistics, which cited data from the Ministry of Finance's State Revenue Committee, cargo transit volumes grew steadily over the decade, reaching 11.6 million tons in 2020, 15.6 million tons in 2022, and 21.3 million tons in 2024.

The upward trend continued in 2026, with government figures showing that 32.6 million tons of cargo transited through Kazakhstan between January and September, a 13.1% increase from the same period last year.

Kazakhstan aims to raise annual cargo transit volumes to 100 million tons by 2035 through the construction of new railway lines and the modernization of existing infrastructure.

Rail transport accounted for the largest share of transit cargo in 2025, with volumes rising from 13.3 million tons in 2024 to 18.7 million tons. Meanwhile, cargo transported by road vehicles, including trucks and trailers, nearly tripled to 16.8 million tons, up from 5.7 million tons a year earlier.

China remained a major source of transit cargo, with shipments to Uzbekistan reaching 6.5 million tons in 2025. Another 4 million tons consisted of consolidated cargo from China destined for Kazakhstan and other countries.

The China–Russia route handled 3 million tons of cargo, while other major routes included Uzbekistan–Russia (2.2 million tons), China–Iran (2.1 million tons), and China–Poland (1.6 million tons).

Cold-rolled iron and steel products accounted for the largest share of transit cargo by commodity, totaling 5.6 million tons. They were followed by motorcycles, mopeds, and similar vehicles at 2.2 million tons, passenger cars at 619,200 tons, certain polymers at 482,400 tons, and automotive parts at 478,200 tons.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan transported 712.1 million tons of cargo across all modes of transport in the first nine months of 2026.

However, year-on-year comparisons were affected by a change in statistical methodology, which excluded empty railcars from railway freight calculations. When both periods are measured using the same methodology, total freight volumes show a 0.9% increase.

Between January and September, road and urban electric transport carried 270.4 million tons of cargo, followed by railways at 248.5 million tons and pipelines at 189.8 million tons.

Transport companies generated 4.5 trillion tenge in revenue from freight, baggage, and cargo-baggage services during the nine-month period, up 5.3% from a year earlier.

Rail transport accounted for the largest share of revenue at 1.8 trillion tenge, followed by pipeline transportation at 1.4 trillion tenge and road and urban electric transport at 1.2 trillion tenge.

The expansion of transit routes is opening up new opportunities for Kazakhstan's transport sector, with logistics services, warehousing, and vehicle maintenance and repair playing an increasingly important role alongside growing cargo volumes.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan had announced plans to expand its international route network to 160, with Europe, China, India, the U.S., Türkiye, and Russia identified as priority destinations.