This information comes from the assessment conducted in country for the Kazakhstan report, which was published in 1999.
Kazakhstan sits at an international crossroads, linked to Russia and Central Asia as well as the Indian Subcontinent, China, and the Middle East. Its mineral reserves (oil, gas, gold, and others) generate great interest from Western investors and international policy makers. At various levels, it is a meeting ground of East and West. The success or failure of reforms can provide valuable lessons for reformers in other transition economies.
Kazakhstan is strongly committed, at the highest decision-making levels, to a market economy and its concomitant reforms. In the few years since independence, the government has adopted numerous new laws, courted foreign investment, and made substantial moves toward a market-oriented economy. One result of this work is that Kazakhstan has the highest level of per-capita foreign direct investment of any of the former Soviet republics, including Russia.
| Key Development Data & Statistics |
Year |
Latest Data |
| External debt stocks (% of GNI) |
2007 |
103.7 |
| GDP (current US$) (billions) |
2007 |
104.9 |
| GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) |
2007 |
5,020 |
| Population, total (millions) |
2007 |
15.5 |
| Population growth (annual %) |
2007 |
1.1 |
| Exports (current US$) (billions) |
2007 |
66.6 |
| Imports (current US$) (billions) |
2007 |
37.5 |
| Top Exports: oil and oil products, ferrous metals, chemicals |
|
|
| Top Imports: machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs |
|
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Source: World Bank Group 2009, CIA World Factbook 2009
For additional economic indicators, please visit the World Bank's "Private Sector at a Glance."
