Population of Kazakhstan
As of April 2025, the population of Kazakhstan is 20 million. The number of inhabitants has increased by 225 thousand in the last year, representing a growth of 1.15%. The median age of the population has increased in recent years, rising from 28.6 years in 2015 to 29.5 years in 2025. Currently, life expectancy at birth is 72.3 years and population density is 7.4 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Population Growth
The population growth rate of Kazakhstan peaked in 1959, reaching around 3.47% annually, but has since declined to approximately 1.12% in 2025. The annual increase in the number of people has also decreased from a peak of around 361.45 thousand in 1988 to nearly 224.59 thousand in 2025.
Life Expectancy
In Kazakhstan, life expectancy at birth has been increasing, with the indicator rising from 65.1 years in 2005 to 72.3 years in 2025, representing an increase of more than 7 years over the past 2 decades.
Most populous cities in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has several cities considered medium-sized by their number of inhabitants, but there are also some large ones. The most populous city is Almaty, with approximately 2 million inhabitants. It is followed by Shymkent with 1.2 million and Aktobe, Aktyubinskaya Oblast’ with 500.8 thousand.
These are the 20 most populous cities in Kazakhstan:
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Almaty | 1,977,011 |
| 2 | Shymkent | 1,200,000 |
| 3 | Aktobe, Aktyubinskaya Oblast’ | 500,757 |
| 4 | Karagandy, Karaganda | 497,777 |
| 5 | Taraz, Zhambyl | 358,153 |
| 6 | Kyzylorda, Qyzylorda | 354,800 |
| 7 | Astana | 345,604 |
| 8 | Oral, Batys Qazaqstan | 330,000 |
| 9 | Pavlodar, Pavlodar Region | 329,002 |
| 10 | Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan | 319,067 |
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Semey, Abai Region | 292,780 |
| 12 | Atyrau, Atyrau Oblisi | 290,700 |
| 13 | Turkestan, Turkistan | 227,098 |
| 14 | Kostanay, Qostanay | 210,000 |
| 15 | Petropavl, North Kazakhstan | 200,920 |
| 16 | Temirtau, Karaganda | 170,600 |
| 17 | Kokshetau, Aqmola | 150,649 |
| 18 | Shevchenko, Mangghystaū | 147,443 |
| 19 | Rudnyy, Qostanay | 124,000 |
| 20 | Ekibastuz, Pavlodar Region | 121,470 |