Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at $4.1 billion, commented on the latest estimates from the IMF. Earlier this year, the fund shared its forecast that Kazakhstan would surpass Russia in GDP per capita in 2025. As the tycoon wrote on Telegram, the news «didn’t come as a surprise.»
Deripaska identified the main drivers of Kazakhstan’s economic growth, emphasizing that the country’s success is due to a proven set of measures, including strengthening property rights protection, actively attracting foreign investment, ensuring the rule of law, and combating corruption. He also pointed to the importance of the government gradually reducing its role in the economy.
«The key point here is that this set of quite obvious measures works just fine. Moreover, in combination with reliable logistics corridors to China, it gives a sustainable result that cannot go unnoticed,» Deripaska wrote, referring to an analysis by RBC.
Earlier this week, RBC reported that, according to the IMF’s April forecast, which is part of the World Economic Outlook, GDP per capita in Kazakhstan would reach $14,770 by the end of 2025, while in Russia this figure is expected to be $14,260. In 2024, according to the fund, Russia was ahead of Kazakhstan by 4.6%, but currently, a 3.6% decline in the Russian indicator is projected. However, IMF experts noted that nominal GDP per capita does not always accurately reflect the level of well-being of the population, since much depends on the distribution of income within a country.
As a result, Russian analysts recommend using GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) for a more accurate comparison of countries’ economies. According to this method, Russia will retain its lead over Kazakhstan in 2025 with a gap of 11%, occupying 48th place in the global ranking.
