If you lived in Kazakhstan instead of Kyrgyzstan, you would:

Health

live 2.1 years longer

In Kyrgyzstan, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 4.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Kyrgyzstan spends $349 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kazakhstan spends $1,460 as of 2023.

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have 2.4 times more doctors per person

Kyrgyzstan has 15.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kazakhstan has 37.5 as of 2023.

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have 15.9% more access to essential health services

Kyrgyzstan scores 69 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kazakhstan scores 80 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Kyrgyzstan has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, it is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 79.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Kyrgyzstan, 24.0% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Kazakhstan, however, that number is 5.0% as of 2024.

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make 4.8 times more money

Kyrgyzstan has a GDP per capita of $3,081 as of 2025, while in Kazakhstan, the GDP per capita is $14,692 as of 2025.

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be 35.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Kyrgyzstan, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kazakhstan, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 76.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kyrgyzstan, approximately 42.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kazakhstan, 10.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 50.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Kyrgyzstan, approximately 14.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, on the other hand, 7.4 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 28.8% less on education

Kyrgyzstan spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 16.2% less on healthcare

Kyrgyzstan spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kazakhstan, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 45.7% more likely to be murdered

Kyrgyzstan has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Kazakhstan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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Infrastructure

find 96.4% more home broadband

Kyrgyzstan has 7.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kazakhstan has 15.3 as of 2024.

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live with 30.8% less strain on fresh water

Kyrgyzstan withdraws 50% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kazakhstan withdraws 35% as of 2022.

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use 2.5 times more electricity

Kyrgyzstan uses 2,069 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kazakhstan uses 5,146 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 22.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Kyrgyzstan, air pollution causes 88.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kazakhstan, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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emit 8.4 times more CO2

Kyrgyzstan emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kazakhstan emits 12.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this

Kazakhstan: At a glance

Kazakhstan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,699,700 sq km. Ethnic Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated to the region by the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-ethnic Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Non-Muslim ethnic minorities departed Kazakhstan in large numbers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s and a national program has repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs back to Kazakhstan. These trends have allowed Kazakhs to become the titular majority again. This dramatic demographic shift has also undermined the previous religious diversity and made the country more than 70 percent Muslim. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states largely due to the country's vast natural resources. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; managing Islamic revivalism; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness; developing a multiparty parliament and advancing political and social reform; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
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