Kazakhstan’s medication imports hit record $1 billion – key suppliers include Germany, India and Italy

In the first six months of 2024, Kazakhstan imported 19,000 tons of medications, totaling $1.06 billion. According to analysts at the First Credit Bureau (FCB), this is the highest monetary value of imports for a half-year period since 2019. Germany, India and Italy are the top suppliers, while Russia accounts for the largest share of the total volume.

Year-on-year, overseas medication supplies to Kazakhstan have increased by 56%. A similarly sharp rise in monetary terms was observed from January to June 2022, when imports surged by 39%, from $1 billion to $1.5 billion. The volume of imports also rose by 38% compared to January to June 2023.

Germany leads the import market with a 16% share, amounting to $173.3 million, followed by India with 9% ($93.4 million), Italy with 7% ($74.1 million) and Russia with 6% ($58 million). Notably, Russia accounts for over a quarter of the total shipment weight, delivering 5.2 thousand tons out of 19 thousand tons.

For comparison, in the first six months of 2024, Kazakhstan produced medications worth KZT 87.3 billion (approximately $194.4 million). The country also exported medications, with total sales amounting to $8.1 million and weighing 760 tons, according to operational data from the State Revenue Committee.

During this period, Kazakhstan exported medications to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Slovenia and Germany. The largest share of exports by value went to Uzbekistan, which accounted for 60.4%, totaling $4.9 million. Of the 760 tons exported, 657.5 tons were sold to Uzbekistan.