From January to July 2024, Kazakhstan's population grew by 148.2 thousand people, or 0.74%, reaching 20.182 million as of August 1, reports Vlast.kz.
The country's capital, Astana, remains the absolute leader in population growth—both due to high natural growth and the highest internal migration rate in the country. In the first seven months of this year, Astana's population increased by 3.59% (twice the growth rate of Shymkent and Almaty) and reached 1.48 million people.
In addition to the three megacities, the Mangystau and Almaty regions also showed high population growth rates. Overall, the population grew in 13 out of 20 regions of Kazakhstan.
In seven regions of Kazakhstan, the population continued to decline: in North Kazakhstan, Kostanay, Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan, Karaganda regions, as well as in the Abai and Zhetisu regions. The largest population decreases from January to July were in North Kazakhstan, by 0.89%, and the Abai region, by 0.35%.
In the North Kazakhstan region, statisticians continue to record a natural population decline, where mortality exceeds birth rates.
The migration balance for Kazakhstan as a whole remained positive; however, at the regional level, it was still positive only in five regions—the three megacities, as well as the Almaty and Mangystau regions.
The urban population in Kazakhstan grew by 1.19% from January to July 2024, reaching 12.6562 million people, while the rural population remained unchanged at 7.5258 million people. The share of the urban population in the country reached 62.7%, while the rural population share decreased to 37.3%.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
September 2, 2024