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

Health

live 4.3 years longer

In Turkmenistan, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 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 15.5% more spent on your healthcare

Turkmenistan spends $1,264 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kazakhstan spends $1,460 as of 2023.

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have 94.5% more doctors per person

Turkmenistan has 19.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kazakhstan has 37.5 as of 2023.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Turkmenistan 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

make 2.2 times more money

Turkmenistan has a GDP per capita of $6,540 as of 2025, while in Kazakhstan, the GDP per capita is $14,692 as of 2025.

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be 11.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Turkmenistan, 4.3% 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 75.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Turkmenistan, approximately 30.4 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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be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Turkmenistan, approximately 5.0 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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Basic Needs

be 3.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Turkmenistan, approximately 25.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Kazakhstan, about 93.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 31.5% less on healthcare

Turkmenistan spends 5.5% 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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spend 13.3% more on education

Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 52.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Turkmenistan, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.9 times more home broadband

Turkmenistan has 5.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Kazakhstan has 15.3 as of 2024.

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live with 74.4% less strain on fresh water

Turkmenistan withdraws 135% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kazakhstan withdraws 35% as of 2022.

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use 85.2% more electricity

Turkmenistan uses 2,778 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kazakhstan uses 5,146 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 21.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Turkmenistan, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kazakhstan, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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emit 15.7% more CO2

Turkmenistan emits 10.9 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022). 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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