Kazakhstan’s population grows by 63,000 in January-April 2026

The Bureau said the increase was driven primarily by natural population growth, with births continuing to outnumber deaths. During the reporting period, natural population growth totaled 57,178 people. Net migration also remained positive, adding nearly 6,000 people to the population.

More than 13,153,726 people now live in cities, reflecting an increase of 68,616 residents since January. Urban population growth reached 0.52 percent.

Meanwhile, the rural population dropped by 5,445 people to 7,409,267, marking a decrease of 0.07 percent.

Almaty remains Kazakhstan’s largest city by population with 2,362,463 residents, followed by Turkistan region with 2,146,817 residents and the capital Astana with 1,668,750 people. Shymkent and Almaty region also ranked among the country’s most populous areas with a population of 1,609,784 and 1,305,620 people, respectively.

The smallest population was registered in Ulytau region, with 218,251 residents.

Astana recorded the fastest population growth rate nationwide at 1.80 percent, fueled largely by migration inflows. Population growth was also observed in Shymkent (0.89 percent), Almaty region (0.83 percent), and Almaty city (0.61 percent).

At the same time, several regions experienced population declines, including North Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan, Zhetysu, Abai, Zhambyl, and Turkistan regions.

The highest levels of natural population increase were recorded in Turkistan region - 10,792 people, Shymkent - 6,785 people, and Astana - 6,652 people.

The strongest positive migration balance was observed in Astana - 22,922 people, Almaty - 8,405 people, and Almaty region - 7,808 people.

Meanwhile, the largest population outflows were recorded in Turkistan region (-13,180 people) and Zhambyl region (-5,752 people).

Earlier, Qazinform reported the Kazakh capital’s population could reach 2,400,000 by 2035.