The nominal average salary in Kazakhstan is $817.2, nearly twice as much as in Uzbekistan ($437.8) or Kyrgyzstan ($411.2), and 3.4 times higher than in Tajikistan ($242.8), Kazinform reports.
Data on the official nominal wage in Turkmenistan is not available in open sources.
These figures were published by the Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS based on calculations for September 2024.
The highest salaries in Kazakhstan are in the financial and mining industries, while in Tajikistan, besides employees in the financial sector, the highest incomes are seen among workers in manufacturing and service industries. In Uzbekistan, workers in the financial and IT sectors receive high salaries (over $1,000). A similar trend is observed in Kyrgyzstan.
The Kazakhstani portal ranking.kz, which specializes in comparative data, notes that the salary gap between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan could have been even larger if Tajikistan had not raised wages significantly last year. According to the source, the nominal salary in Tajikistan increased by 24.9% year-on-year in September 2024, while the real wage grew by 21.1%. These are the highest salary indices in the region, the agency reports.
In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, the dynamics were more modest. Real data on nominal wages in Turkmenistan is unavailable, with the latest update from the Turkmenistan State Statistics Committee being from 2023.
Kazakhstan also leads in the size of the minimum wage, which stood at 85,000 tenge, or $181.1.
In Uzbekistan, the minimum wage is $89.4, in Tajikistan it is $54.9, and in Kyrgyzstan it is $28.3.
In Turkmenistan, according to the official exchange rate of the US dollar, which has been fixed at 3.5 manat for five years, the minimum wage may be the highest in the region—$402.9. However, according to experts, currency transactions in the country are conducted on the black market at a rate of (1 to 19). Under this scenario, the minimum wage in Turkmenistan in 2024 was $74.2.
The infographic indicates the ratio of the minimum wage to the nominal wage. For example, in Kyrgyzstan, where the minimum wage is the lowest in Central Asia, the ratio of this economic indicator to the average wage was only 6.9%. This could suggest a relatively low level of social support in the country, as the minimum wage is often a basic indicator for calculating certain types of benefits. In Kazakhstan, the ratio of the minimum wage to the nominal wage was 21.8%. The highest ratio was observed in Tajikistan at 30.9%.
Based on statistical reports from national statistical agencies, ranking.kz compared nominal wages in Central Asian countries across different economic sectors. The data allowed for the identification of sectors with higher or lower average wages. This comparison considers incomes in specific sectors without factoring in their weight in the countries' economies, the number of people employed in them, and the volatility of national currencies.
The general trend: the highest nominal wages in the four Central Asian countries are in the financial and insurance sectors.
At the same time, there is a significant difference between the countries: in Kazakhstan, salaries in finance and insurance exceed $1,700—three times more than, for example, in Tajikistan ($561.9).
In Kazakhstan, the financial and mining industries have the highest salaries. In Tajikistan, besides financial sector employees, workers in manufacturing and service industries enjoy the highest incomes. Uzbekistan is known for high salaries (over $1,000) in the finance and IT sectors. A similar trend is seen in Kyrgyzstan.
The sectors with the lowest wages in Central Asia are somewhat similar across countries. These include education, healthcare, agriculture, and utilities.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are similar in that, compared to European countries, the cost of living is relatively low. However, the purchasing power of wages in these countries significantly lags behind that of European countries and the US. For example, in Uzbekistan, the purchasing power index for wages in January of this year was 44.5, according to the service Numbeo.com. This means that the average salary there can buy half as many goods and services as in New York, where the index is set to 100.
In Kyrgyzstan, the local salary can buy almost 65% fewer goods and services than in New York.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 27, 2025