Kazakhstan accounts for the highest rate of migration within EEU

Kazakhstan is a member state of the Eurasian Economic Union where the balance of migration is most negative, as tens of thousands of people leave the county forever.

According to the Eurasian Economic Commission’s data, all EEU member states except Russia reported a negative migration balance last year. Kyrgyzstan has shown the lowest migration rate (-769 people).

Kazakhstan demonstrates the biggest rate of negative migration balance. About 32,200 people left the country last year, while only 10,900 people came to Kazakhstan to live here. In 2021 the number of people leaving Kazakhstan increased by 20% compared to 2020.

However, the natural population growth has significantly mitigated the impact of the negative migration balance in Kazakhstan. More than 450,000 babies were born in the country last year and the population is still growing. As the National Bureau of Statistics reported, there are 19.1 million people in Kazakhstan as of February 1, 2022.

At the same time, people continue to leave small single-company towns dispersed around the country to pursue a better life in big cities or even abroad. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noticed this problem while visiting several regions around the country. He believes that even if the government isn’t able to stop the process of migration, it should steer it on the right course. For instance, the authorities want to stimulate domestic migration from small settlements to big cities.