Kazakhstan's migration landscape has seen notable shifts: the inflow of arrivals is rising, while the number of citizens leaving for permanent residence abroad is declining, reports infohub.kz.
Since 2023, the country has maintained a positive net migration. In 2025, this indicator reached 16,200 people, whereas in 2020–2022 negative values were recorded. According to analysts, in the first half of this year, just over 8,000 people arrived, while 2,300 Kazakhstani citizens left for permanent residence abroad.
The main centers of attraction for foreigners were major metropolitan areas, as well as Almaty and Mangystau regions. These regions saw the largest influx of arrivals in January–June. The main donor countries were Uzbekistan, China, and Russia, accounting for 77.8% of all entrants. From Uzbekistan, 2,900 people arrived; from China, 1,700; and from Russia, 1,600.
Uzbekistan provided the most significant increase: 2,894 people moved to Kazakhstan, while only 41 left in the opposite direction. As for China, the near absence of return outflow played an important role. Significant growth was observed in Almaty (1,400 people), Almaty region (1,300), and Mangystau region (1,100), as well as in Astana (723 people). At the same time, only three regions—Karaganda, North Kazakhstan, and Ulytau—showed negative net migration, meaning more people left than arrived. However, their absolute figures were insignificant and did not affect the overall picture.
Separately, the situation with Russia has changed. In the first half of 2026, Kazakhstan for the first time in several years recorded a positive migration balance with that country: 1,600 Russians arrived, while 1,200 people left for Russia. The outflow of Kazakhstani citizens to Russia has been declining since 2021. Last year, the number of emigrants to Russia decreased fivefold, and in the first half of 2026, the reduction was twofold.