On April 26, 2015, Kazakhstan’s president,Nursultan Nazarbayev, faced off against two lit-tle-known challengers in a snap presidential elec-

tion, in which he was universally expected to win a fifthterm in office. The official results were unsurprisingly lop-sided: Nazarbayev won 97.7% of the vote with voterturnout over 95%. Anticipating criticism from Westerncountries and democracy groups, Nazarbayev defendedhis wide margin of victory in a press conference, sayingthat it reflected his true level of support in Kazakhstanand that he would have actually had to interfere with thevote in order to engineer results that Western observerswould accept as credible.

DemographyPopulation (2015): 17,544,000.Density (2015): persons per sq mi16.7, persons per sq km 6.4.

Sex distribution (20113): male48.21%; female 51.79%.

Population projection: (2020)18,447,000; (2030) 19,690,000.

Major cities (20153): Almaty1,548,354; Astana 852,985;Shymkent (Chimkent) 711,873;Qaraghandy (Karaganda) 492,172;Aqtöbe 387,945.

Urban-rural (2014):

Vital statisticsBirth rate per 1,000 population (2013): 22.7 (world avg. 19.5).Death rate per 1,000 population (2013): 8.0 (world avg. 8.1).Life expectancy at birth (2013): male 65.8 years; female 75.1years.

Age breakdown (20103):

Ethnic composition (20143):

Religious affiliation (2009):

Kazakhstan

Official name: Qazaqstan Respublikasy(Kazakh); Respublika Kazakhstan(Russian) (Republic of Kazakhstan).

Form of government: unitary republicwith a Parliament consisting of twohouses (Senate [471] and House ofRepresentatives [107]).

Head of state and government: PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev, assisted byPrime Minister Karim Masimov.

Capital: Astana.Official languages: Kazakh; Russian2.Official religion: none.Monetary unit: tenge (T); valuation(Sept. 1, 2015) 1 U.S.$ = T 239.23; 1 £ = T 366.64.

Area and population

area population area population

20153 20153

Provinces sq km estimate Provinces sq km estimate

Almaty 224,000 2,015,727Aqmola 146,200 736,528Aqtöbe 300,600 822,688Atyrau 118,600 581,468Batys Qazaqstan(Western Kazakhstan) 151,300 629,932

Mangghystau 165,600 606,900Ongtüstik Qazaqstan(Southern Kazakhstan) 117,300 2,788,653

Pavlodar 124,800 755,640Qaraghandy 428,000 1,378,288

Qostanay 196,000 881,452Qyzylorda4 226,000 753,231Shyghys Qazaqstan(Eastern Kazakhstan) 283,200 1,395,271

Soltüstik Qazaqstan(Northern Kazakhstan) 98,000 571,637

Zhambyl 144,300 1,098,693CitiesAlmaty 300 1,548,354Astana 700 852,985TOTAL 2,724,900 17,417,447

© 2016 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

World DataE N C Y C L O P Æ D I A

Britannica

National economyBudget (2014). Revenue: T 7,364,483,600,000 (tax revenue 69.5%,transfers 26.5%, nontax revenue 4.0%). Expenditures:T 7,791,867,500,000 (social security 19.9%, education17.4%, health 11.0%, transportation and communica-tions 7.9%, public order 7.7%, housing 7.1%).

Population economically active (2013): total 9,041,300;participation rates: ages 15–64, male 77.3%; female66.7%; unemployed (June 2014–May 2015) 5.0%, ofwhich youth (ages 15–29; 2013) 3.9%.

Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture,forestry, fishing (2013): wheat 13,940,800, potatoes3,343,600, barley 2,539,030, tomatoes (2012) 706,000,sunflower seeds 572,690, seed cotton 396,730, rice344,300, linseeds 295,020; livestock (number of liveanimals) 15,197,780 sheep, 5,851,227 cattle, 2,362,824 goats, 160,915camels; roundwood 321,000 cu m, of which fuelwood 67%; fisheriesproduction (2012) 43,250 (from aquaculture 1%). Mining and quarry-ing (2012): iron ore 14,326,0009; bauxite 5,170,200; chromite 3,590,000;copper 419,2009; zinc 369,7009; silver 963,182 kg9; gold 39,903 kg9.Manufacturing (value of production in T ’000,000; 2008): base metals1,408,325; food and food products 757,757; machinery and apparatus297,501; coke, refined petroleum products, and nuclear fuel 235,309.Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 2014)94,643,000,000 ([2013] 89,731,000,000), by source (2012): fossil fuels91.2%; renewable energy 8.8%, of which hydroelectric 8.8%; hardcoal (metric tons; 2014) 115,000,000 ([2013] 87,500,000); lignite (metrictons; 2013) 7,750,000 ([2011] 8,030,000); crude petroleum (barrels;2014–15) 495,000,000 ([2013] 72,400,000); petroleum products (metrictons; 2011) 14,381,000 (10,731,000); natural gas (cu m; 2014)43,438,000,000 ([2011] 38,469,000,000).

Gross national income (GNI; 2014): U.S.$201,806,000,000 (U.S.$11,670per capita); purchasing power parity GNI (U.S.$21,580 per capita).

Public debt (external, outstanding; 2013): U.S.$12,246,403,000.Average household size (2004): 3.8.Land use as % of total land area (2009): in temporary crops or left fal-low 8.7%, in permanent crops 0.03%, in pasture 68.5%, forest area1.2%.

Foreign trade8

Imports (2013): U.S.$48,871,900,000 (general indus-trial machinery 14.9%, transportation equipment13.3%, mineral fuels 12.4%, fabricated metal prod-ucts 8.7%, chemicals and chemical products 8.4%,electrical equipment 8.0%). Major import sources:

Exports (2013): U.S.$82,510,000,000 (crude petrole-um 66.9%, chemicals and chemical products 4.0%,iron and steel 3.9%, copper 3.5%). Major export destinations:

Transport and communicationsTransport. Railroads (2014): route length 9,532mi, 15,341 km; passenger-km28,000,000,000; metric ton-km cargo216,600,000,000. Roads (2014): totallength 59,913 mi, 96,421 km (paved90%); passenger-km 174,695,000,00011;metric ton-km cargo 155,665,600,000.Vehicles (20153): passenger cars 4,000,100;trucks and buses 434,665.

Education and healthLiteracy (2015): percentage of total population age 15 andover literate, virtually 100%.

Health (2013): physicians 66,038 (1 per 258 persons); hos-pital beds 107,491 (1 per 159 persons); infant mortalityrate per 1,000 live births (2011) 14.8; undernourishedpopulation (2006–08) less than 5% of total population.

MilitaryTotal active duty personnel (November 2014):39,000 (army 51.3%, navy 7.7%, air force30.8%, Ministry of Defense staff 10.2%).Military expenditure as percentage of GDP(2014): 0.9%; per capita expenditureU.S.$117.

1Includes 15 appointed seats. 2Russian has official equal status per article 7.2 of the constitution.3January 1. 4Includes an area of 6,700 sq km (2,600 sq mi) enclosing the Bayqongyr (Baykonur) spacelaunch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (formerly Leninsk) leased to Russia in 1995 until 2050. Theestimated 38,000 residents of Bayqongyr are excluded from the Qyzylorda population total. 5Taxes onproducts less subsidies. 6Unemployed. 7Detail does not add to total given because of rounding. 8Importsc.i.f.; exports f.o.b. 9Metal content. 10Subscribers. 11Buses only.

Internet resources for further information:• National Bank of Kazakhstan www.nationalbank.kz• Committee on Statistics www.stat.gov.kz

Structure of gross domestic product and labour force2013

in value % of total labour % of labourT ’000,000 value force force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 1,621,195 4.6 2,073,600 22.9Mining and quarrying 5,477,694 15.5 249,300 2.8Manufacturing 3,828,487 10.9 548,000 6.1Public utilities 679,816 1.9 241,800 2.7Construction 2,145,249 6.1 660,000 7.3Transp. and commun. 3,682,700 10.4 702,000 7.8Trade, hotels 5,727,155 16.2 1,395,500 15.4Finance, real estate 6,173,063 17.5 600,200 6.6Pub. admin., defense 711,440 2.0 402,400 4.4Services 2,838,144 8.1 1,697,800 18.8Other 2,390,2135 6.85 470,7006 5.26

TOTAL 35,275,1537 100.0 9,041,300 100.0

Communications units unitsnumber per 1,000 number per 1,000

Medium date in ’000s persons Medium date in ’000s persons

TelephonesCellular 2014 28,00310 1,68610

Landline 2014 4,338 261

Internet users 2009 5,300 339Broadband 2014 2,14810 12910

© 2016 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

World DataE N C Y C L O P Æ D I A

Britannica