Psychic services a booming business in Kazakhstan — corporations among top clients
Kazakhstan’s fortune tellers, psychics, astrologers and numerologists officially declared more than 2.9 billion tenge (about $6 million) in earnings for 2024, according to the Finprom analytical portal. Surprisingly, nearly half of that income came not from individuals, but from organizations.
Psychics’ revenue
Data from Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics shows that practitioners categorized as «astrologers, fortune tellers and spiritualists» earned roughly $5.7 million last year. Psychics declared another $481,000. Notably, almost half of this revenue, around $2.9 million, came from legal entities, suggesting that corporate clients play a significant role in the esoteric services market. These figures represent only those practitioners who chose to report their earnings and pay taxes.
The growing demand for fortune-telling and astrology services in Kazakhstan is arguably linked to two main factors. First, the government has simplified tax rules for the self-employed, allowing individuals with annual incomes under 1 million tenge (about $2,100) to operate without registering as sole proprietors. Second, there’s been a marked rise in public interest in mystical practices. Google Trends data from 2024 shows a spike in searches for natal charts, fate matrices and astrological forecasts.
Prices for such services vary widely, often depending on the practitioner’s reputation. Finprom analyzed listings on classified ads sites and social media from anonymous providers, finding that simple fortune-telling sessions start at about $6, while rituals begin around $10. Numerology readings cost at least $42. However, well-known psychics with personal websites or TV appearances charge far more — for example, lifting a curse can cost from $65, reuniting a spouse starts at $1,000 and «magical assistance» in selling a property may run up to 10% of its price.
Despite the apparent boom, most Kazakhstanis say they have no interest in esoteric services. A 2024 survey by United Research Technologies Group (URTG) found that 89.1% of respondents had never used such services and didn’t plan to. Only 4% reported using them in the past year.
Popular among leaders
Kursiv.media conducted a market survey in September 2024 to explore why esoteric services have become so popular with business leaders and politicians in Kazakhstan.
One argument is that esotericism in Kazakhstan is no longer as stigmatized or inaccessible as it once was. Public attitudes have shifted — today, anyone can learn and practice in the field.
At the same time, higher levels of personal anxiety tend to make people more likely to seek quick, supernatural solutions. As a result, demand for esoteric services tends to rise during times of crisis, war or uncertainty.
A distinct group of clients now includes politicians involved in high-stakes decision-making. In May 2025, media reports surfaced alleging that Karim Massimov — the former head of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee and a two-time prime minister (2007-2012, 2014-2016) — spent $200,000 on consultations with a Russian astrologer.
Meanwhile, Kazakh blogger Shirin Araz recently promoted and sold a pacifier-shaped talisman on social media, claiming it could help women conceive. However, Alisher Kadyrbekov, a law professor at the Maqsut Narikbayev University in Astana, warned that such commercial activity could have legal consequences.
Kadyrbekov explained that aggressively marketing magical talismans may violate Kazakhstan’s laws on advertising and consumer rights protection by misleading customers with unproven claims. He noted that products advertised as boosting fertility lack certification or approval from the Ministry of Healthcare, making such promotions potentially unlawful.
