A few Practical Tips for doing business In Kazakhstan
Make eye contact when shaking hands.
Use business cards with English on one side and Russian on the other.
Don't ask questions related to ethnicity.
Ask questions about your associates’ family health at the start of meetings.
Brief History
15th century-Ethnic Kazakhs derive from nomadic tribes migrated to the area.
18th & 19th centuries - Conquered by Russian Empire.
1950s-1960s - An agricultural "Virgin Lands" program resulted in influx of settlers, mostly ethnic Russians.
1991 - Gained independence from Russia. At that time, ethnic Kazakhs were a minority.
Mid 1990s through mid-2000s - A national program repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs. As a result of the shift, ethnic Kazakhs share of the population now exceeds two-thirds.
General Information
Location - Central Asia, northwest of China; small portion west of Ural River in easternmost Europe. It is land locked.
Government Type - Presidential republic
Capital City - Astana
Literacy Rate - 99.8% (2023)
Size - Slightly less than 4 times the size of Texas
Population - 19.5M (2023 est.)
Population Growth Rate - 0.73% (2023 est.)
Population Distribution - Most of the country displays a low population density, particularly in the interior.
The Economy
Kazakhstan's economy is the largest in central Asia. They want to diversify the economy, attract foreign investments, become more competitive and strengthen economic relations with other countries.
Its national resources include petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold and uranium.
Agricultural products: wheat, milk, potatoes, barley, melons, linseed, onions, corn and sunflower seeds.
Major industries, besides agriculture, include mining, iron & steel, tractors, other agricultural machinery, electric motors and construction materials.
Unemployment Rate: 4.9% (2022)
GDP - $181.2B (2019)
GDP - 18.1%
Labor Force - 9.248M (2021)
Labor Force Breakdown: Agriculture -18.1%, Industry - 20.4%, Services - 61.6 (2017 est.)
International Trade
Total Exports: $66.132B (2021 est.)
Major Product Exports: (2021)
Crude Petroleum - $21.6B
Gold - $3.99B
Copper - $3.89B
Iron Alloys - $2.57B
Copper Ore - $1.83B
Major Export Partners: (2021)
China - $10.6B
Russia - $5.99B
Greece - $4.62B
UK - $4.06B
Germany - 3.82B
Total Imports: $49.196B (2021)
Major Product Imports:
Cars - $1.75B
Broadcasting Equipment - $1.48B
Packaged Medicines - $1.1B
Computers - $881M
Rubber Footwear - $814M
Major Import Partners: (2021)
Russia - $18.18B
China - $13.9B
Germany - $1.7B
Turkey - $1.29B
Uzbekistan - $1.03B
English Language Online News
The Astana Times - www.astanatimes.com – Astana
Sampling of Kazakhstan Companies
Bogatyr Access Komir - coal mining - Ekibastuz
Kazakh Gold - gold mining - Stepnogorsk
Kazakhmys - copper mining - Almaty
KazMunai Gas - state-owned oil and gas exploration - Astana
Kazzinc - zinc mining - Oskemen
Vostochny Coal Mine - coal mining - Ekibastuz
United Chemical Company - government-owned chemical company - Nur-Sultan
JSC Lokonoti – locomotives - Nur-Sultan
Ulba Metallurgical Plant - uranium. beryllium, tantalum, niobium, HF acid - Oskamen
AlbaStroy Dor - materials for road construction - Termirtau City
Silo Energy Co. Ltd. - silos - Almaty
Uneret Ltd. - food products - Karagundy
PKP Strolex - electrical instruments - Shymkert
Interconnect - grains and dental products - Kostanay
Fairtrade InterCo - adhesives, sealant, chemicals - Almaty
Kazros Agro - grains - Kokshetau
National Holidays
January 1 - New Year's Day
January 2 - New Year Holiday
January 7 - Orthodox Christmas
March 8 - International Women's Day
March 21 - Nauryz
March 22 - Nauryz Holiday
March 23 - Nauryz Holiday
March 25 - Nauryz Holiday
May 1 - Unity Day
May 7 - Defender of the Fatherland Day
May 9 - Victory Day
June 16 - Kurban Ait
July 6 - Day of the Capital
July 8 - Day of the Capital
August 30 - Constitution Day
October 25 - Republic Day
December 16 - Independence Day
By Paul Mastilak
InterMark3, Inc.