World Factbook
Kazakhstan
Qazaqstan Respublikasy
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, both centered on a sky-blue background; the left side displays a national pattern called koshkar-muiz (the horns of the ram) in gold meaning: the blue color has religious significance for the Turkic peoples and symbolizes cultural and ethnic unity, as well as sky and water; the sun stands for wealth and plenitude, with rays shaped like grain; the eagle has appeared on Kazakh tribal flags for centuries and represents freedom, power, and the flight to the future
Capital
name
Astana
note
note: founded in 1830 as Akmoly, the capital city became Akmolinsk in 1832, Tselinograd in 1961, Akmola (Aqmola) in 1992, Astana in 1998, and Nur-Sultan in 2019; the latest name change back to Astana in 2022 occurred just three and a half years after the city was renamed to honor a former president, who subsequently fell out of favor
etymology
the name means "capital city" in Kazakh
time zone note
On 1 March 2024, Kazakhstan moved from using two time zones to one
time difference
UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
geographic coordinates
51 10 N, 71 25 E
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of Kazakhstan
dual citizenship recognized
no
residency requirement for naturalization
5 years
Constitution
history
previous 1937, 1978 (pre-independence), 1993; latest approved by referendum 30 August 1995, effective 5 September 1995
amendment process
introduced by a referendum initiated by the president of the republic, on the recommendation of Parliament, or by the government; the president has the option of submitting draft amendments to Parliament or directly to a referendum; passage of amendments by Parliament requires four-fifths majority vote of both houses and the signature of the president; passage by referendum requires absolute majority vote by more than one half of the voters in at least two thirds of the oblasts, major cities, and the capital, followed by the signature of the president
Country name
former
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
etymology
the name may derive from the Turkic word kazak, meaning "nomad;" the Persian suffix - stan means "place of" or "country"
local long form
Qazaqstan Respublikasy
local short form
Qazaqstan
conventional long form
Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form
Kazakhstan
Independence
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Legal system
civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and by the theory and practice of the Russian Federation
Government type
presidential republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Supreme Court of the Republic (consists of 44 members); Constitutional Council (consists of the chairperson and 6 members)
subordinate courts
regional and local courts
judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court judges proposed by the president of the republic on recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council and confirmed by the Senate; judges normally serve until age 65 but can be extended to age 70; Constitutional Council - the president of the republic, the Senate chairperson, and the Mazhilis chairperson each appoints 2 members for a 6-year term; chairperson of the Constitutional Council appointed by the president for a 6-year term
Executive branch
cabinet
the president appoints ministers based on the prime minister's recommendations; the president has veto power over all appointments and independently appoints the ministers of defense, internal affairs, and foreign affairs
chief of state
President Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV (since 20 March 2019)
election results
2024: Olzhas BEKTENOV elected as prime minister; 69-0 in parliament 2022 : Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV (Amanat) 81.3%, Zhiguli DAYRABAEV (Auyl) 3.4%, Qaraqat or Karakat ÄBDEN (KÄQŪA) 2.6%, Meyram KAZHYKEN (Amanat) 2.5%, Nurlan AUYESBAYEV (NSDP) 2.2%, Saltanat TURSYNBEKOVA (QA-DJ) 2.1%, other 5.8% 2019 : Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV elected president; percent of vote - Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV (Amanat) 71%, Amirzhan KOSANOV (Ult Tagdyry) 16.2%, Daniya YESPAYEVA (Ak Zhol) 5.1%, other 7.7%
head of government
Prime Minister Olzhas BEKTENOV (since 6 February 2024)
most recent election date
20 November 2022
election/appointment process
president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a single 7-year term (prior to September 2022, the president of Kazakhstan could serve up to two 5-year terms; legislation reduced it to one 7-year term); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Mazhilis
expected date of next election
2029
National holiday
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
National color(s)
blue, yellow
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
6 (3 cultural, 3 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (c); Petroglyphs at Tanbaly (c); Saryarka - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan (n); Silk Roads: the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (c); Western Tien-Shan (n); Cold Winter Deserts of Turan (n)
Political parties
Ak Zhol Democratic Party or Ak Zhol Amanat formerly Nur Otan Auyl People's Democratic Patriotic Party or Auyl Green Party of Kazakhstan orBaytaq Nationwide Social Democratic Party or NSDP People's Party of Kazakhstan or PPK Respublica
Legislative branch
legislature name
Parliament (Parlament)
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"Menin Qazaqstanim" (My Kazakhstan)
history
adopted 2006; President Nursultan NAZARBAYEV played a role in revising the lyrics
lyrics/music
Zhumeken NAZHIMEDENOV and Nursultan NAZARBAYEV/Shamshi KALDAYAKOV
National symbol(s)
golden eagle
National coat of arms
winning design from a competition held in 1992; the design uses the national colors of yellow and blue, with blue standing for the hope for unity, peace, and friendship with all people and gold for a clear future for the country’s population; a shanyrak (the upper dome-like portion of a yurt) represents familial well-being, peace, and calmness, with the circular shape standing for life and eternity; the winged horses, or tulpars , protect the shanyrak and symbolize bravery, prosperity, and inspiration
Administrative divisions
17 provinces ( oblystar , singular - oblys ) and 4 cities* ( qalalar , singular - qala ); Abay (Semey), Almaty (Qonaev), Almaty*, Aqmola (Kokshetau), Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan [West Kazakhstan] (Oral), Bayqongyr*, Mangghystau (Aqtau), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan [East Kazakhstan] (Oskemen), Shymkent*, Soltustik Qazaqstan [North Kazakhstan] (Petropavl), Turkistan, Ulytau (Zhezqazghan), Zhambyl (Taraz), Zhetisu (Taldyqorghan)
note 1: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; exceptions show the administrative center name in parentheses
note 2: in 1995, the Kazakh and Russian governments agreed that Russia would lease for 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km (2,317 sq mi) around the Baikonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baikonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, the lease was extended to 2050
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
House of Representatives (Mazhilis)
term in office
5 years
number of seats
98 (all directly elected)
electoral system
mixed system
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
3/19/2023
expected date of next election
March 2028
percentage of women in chamber
18.4%
parties elected and seats per party
Amanat party (62); Auyl party (8); Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan (6); Respublica (6); People's Party of Kazakhstan (5); Independents (7); Other (4)
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
Senate
term in office
6 years
number of seats
50 (40 indirectly elected; 10 appointed)
scope of elections
partial renewal
most recent election date
1/14/2023
expected date of next election
January 2026
percentage of women in chamber
20%
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 232-5845
chancery
1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone
[1] (202) 232-5488
chief of mission
Ambassador Magzhan ILYASSOV (since 16 December 2025)
consulate(s) general
New York, San Francisco
email address and website
washington@mfa.kz https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-washington?lang=en
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[7] (7172) 54-09-14
embassy
Rakhymzhan Koshkarbayev Avenue, No. 3, Astana 010010
telephone
[7] (7172) 70-21-00
mailing address
2230 Astana Place, Washington DC 20521-2230
chief of mission
Ambassador-designate Julie STUFFT; Chargé d'Affaires Deborah ROBINSON (since January 2025)
consulate(s) general
Almaty
email address and website
USAKZ@state.gov https://kz.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEU, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EITI (compliant country), FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt