Factbook
History of Kazakhstan — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Kazakhstan, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1925The Russian Empire conquered the Kazakh steppe in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1925.
1991During the 1950s and 1960s, the agricultural "Virgin Lands" program generated an influx of settlers -- mostly ethnic Russians, but also other nationalities -- and by the time of Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991, ethnic Kazakhs were a minority.
1991Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union).
2021Languages: Kazakh (official, Qazaq) 80.1%, Russian 83.7%, English 35.1% (2021 est.) Religions: Muslim 69.3%, Christian 17.2% (Orthodox 17%, other 0.2%), Buddhism 0.1%, other 0.1%, non-believers 2.3%, unspecified 11% (2021 est.) Urban population: 58.2% of total population (2023).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 87.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 8.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 172.936 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, uranium, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials Agriculture: wheat, milk, barley, potatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes/melons, sunflower seeds, maize, onions, tomatoes (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 1.987 million Almaty, 1.291 million NUR-SULTAN (capital), 1.155 million Shimkent (2023) upper-middle-income Central Asian economy; robust growth due to rising oil production, expansion in manufacturing and services, rising domestic demand, and infrastructure investments; however, rapid growth contributing to high inflation rate; declining unemployment and poverty rates Inflation: 8.8% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 0.9% of GDP (2024 est.).
2025Population: 20.4 million (2025 estimate).
