In the second quarter of 2026, average per capita nominal cash incomes in Kazakhstan rose 14% year-on-year to 410,088 tenge, while spending grew 15.23% to 358,584 tenge, the website infohub.kz reports.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, in the second quarter of 2026, per capita cash incomes averaged 410,088 tenge, or 136,696 tenge per month. Compared with the first quarter, they rose 2.57%, while the annual increase was 14%.
Per capita spending, meanwhile, is growing faster than incomes. In the second quarter it totaled 358,584 tenge, or 119,528 tenge per month. Over the quarter it rose 1.61%, and over the year it jumped 15.23%.
It is important not to confuse income with the average salary. Income includes everything: wages, pensions, benefits and alimony. It also covers all residents of the country, including children. The average salary, by contrast, is calculated only from labor income of the portion of the population that is officially employed.
It should also be noted that the current per capita income figures were calculated by analysts based on household surveys rather than official data, and therefore carry a margin of error.
Income includes all types of cash receipts. The 410,088 tenge figure comprises: income from employment — 264,871 tenge; income from entrepreneurship — 33,240 tenge; pensions — 83,022 tenge; benefits, targeted and housing assistance — 16,408 tenge; help from relatives and alimony — 6,748 tenge; other income — 5,799 tenge.
As for spending, consumer outlays account for the "lion's share": food products account for 180,969 tenge per quarter on average per capita, while non-food goods account for 70,103 tenge. Another 74,176 tenge goes to paid services. Spending also includes alimony and help to relatives, taxes, payments, as well as debts and loans.
In the income structure, 64.6% comes from wages for hired labor (264,900 tenge). Food products remain the main spending item — 50.5% of all outlays (181,000 tenge).
The income and spending figures may look unrealistic, but this is due to the way they are calculated. The point is that these indicators take into account the entire population of the country. For example, benefits and social assistance accounted for only 16,408 tenge. This figure emerged because analysts took the total amount of payments and divided it among the entire population, including even those who were not assigned any payments. A similar rule applies to spending, for example on loans or taxes — the total amount is divided among all citizens, even children and those who have no such payments.
Meanwhile, food products remain the main spending item for Kazakhstanis — 50.5% of all outlays. That is very high by global standards: in many developed countries this figure is usually below 15%, while in the poorest countries of Asia and Africa it often exceeds 50%.
Earlier, we reported on how poverty levels have changed in Kazakhstan.