By the end of 2025, Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover reached a historic high of $143.9 billion. However, the structure of trade underwent negative shifts, with growth driven by a sharp rise in imports rather than sales, Zakon.kz reports.
- Exports: Decreased by $2.6 billion (-3.2%), totaling $79 billion. The most significant decline occurred in the Russian market, where supplies dropped by $1.4 billion.
- Imports: Increased by $4.4 billion (+7.4%), reaching nearly $65 billion. The primary growth came from non-CIS countries (+9.5%).
- Surplus: The trade balance plummeted by 33%, falling from $21.3 billion to $14.2 billion.
The share of exports in total trade turnover dropped to 54.9%, while the share of imports rose to 45.1%. Experts attribute the decline in export revenue to oil price volatility, which saw an overall drop of more than 21% during the year.
Despite the shrinking surplus, economists see a positive signal in the "unprecedented demand" for investment goods. This indicates that the rising imports are geared toward developing domestic production rather than just consumption.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 16, 2026