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

Health

see 2.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kazakhstan spends $1,460 as of 2023.

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have 3.4 times more doctors per person

Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Kazakhstan has 37.5 as of 2023.

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have 17.6% more access to essential health services

Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kazakhstan scores 80 as of 2021.

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be 8.8 times more likely to be obese

In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, that number is 21.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 100.0% more likely to die by suicide

Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 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 2.9 times more money

Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Kazakhstan, the GDP per capita is $14,692 as of 2025.

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be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kazakhstan, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.

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be 19.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Kazakhstan, however, that number is 5.0% as of 2024.

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Life

be 79.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 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 38.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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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have 45.5% more children

In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, there are 19.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 11.0% more likely to have internet access

In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, about 93.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 17.3% less on healthcare

Vietnam spends 4.6% 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 68.2% more on education

Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 31.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

use 99.0% more electricity

Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kazakhstan uses 5,146 kWh as of 2023.

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find 35.4% less home broadband

Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kazakhstan has 15.3 as of 2024.

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live with 91.0% more strain on fresh water

Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kazakhstan withdraws 35% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 30.8% more likely to die from air pollution

In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kazakhstan, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.9 times more CO2

Vietnam emits 4.3 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), World Health Organization (2024). 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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