The proportion of Kazakhs in the ethnic composition of Kazakhstan by the beginning of 2024 reached 70.98%, increasing by 0.23 percentage points over the year, according to the annual bulletin of the National Statistics Bureau, Vlast.kz reports.
The total number of Kazakhs in Kazakhstan has exceeded 14 million for the first time, reaching 14,220 thousand people by the beginning of 2024. Over the years of Kazakhstan's independence, the number of Kazakhs in the republic has more than doubled, and their share has increased from 39.7% (data from the last census in the Soviet Union in 1989) to the current 70.98%.
In five regions, the proportion of Kazakhs exceeds 80% - in Astana (81.63%), Aktobe region (85.5%), Mangistau region (91.46%), Atyrau region (93.0%), and Kyzylorda region (96.2%). In eight more regions, the number of Kazakhs is higher than the country average.
Kazakhs constitute the majority in all regions of the country except for the North Kazakhstan region, where Russians are the predominant ethnic group.
Russians remain the second largest ethnic group in Kazakhstan - their number is 2.98 million people, and the share of Russians in the country's population has decreased over the year from 15.18% to 14.89%. Along with other Slavic ethnic groups, the number and share of Russians continue to decrease.
Uzbeks remain the third largest ethnic group. Their number in Kazakhstan has grown to 660.6 thousand people. Their share of the total population of the country is 3.3%, increasing from 3.25% a year ago.
Ukrainians are the fourth largest ethnic group by number - 375.9 thousand people, and the share of Ukrainians has decreased from 1.92% at the beginning of last year to 1.88% at the beginning of 2024.
The number of Uyghurs, the fifth largest ethnic group in the country, has reached 301.6 thousand, with their share increasing slightly from 1.5% to 1.51%.
Other major ethnic groups include Germans - 1.12% of the population (1.14% a year ago), Tatars - 1.11% (1.09% a year ago), Azerbaijanis - 0.76% (share unchanged), Koreans - 0.60% (0.61% at the beginning of last year), Turks - 0.45% (share unchanged), and Dungans - 0.42% (last year - 0.41%).
CentralasianLIGHT.org
April 22, 2024