From January to May 2026, Kazakhstan exported 172.8 million liters of soft drinks, earning $75.5 million. Meanwhile, domestic prices for these products have risen significantly, reports infohub.kz.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, domestic producers manufactured 1.6 billion liters of mineral water and soft drinks during the period, up 17% year-on-year. Domestic sales reached 1.7 billion liters, driven by a 29.6% surge in imports to 217.1 million liters.
Kazakhstani companies are actively selling their products abroad. Kyrgyzstan was the top buyer, receiving 94.9 million liters worth $39 million. Uzbekistan came second with 48.3 million liters and $28.1 million. Significant volumes were also shipped to Russia (23.5 million liters) and Tajikistan (2.9 million liters). Additionally, Kazakh drinks are exported to Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, and South Korea.
At the same time, beverages have become noticeably more expensive for Kazakhstani consumers. In May, soft drink prices rose 15.7% year-on-year. According to the latest data from the Bureau of National Statistics, in July the annual price growth was 13.8%. Specifically, still drinks went up by 12.5%, fruit and vegetable juices by 14.1%, carbonated drinks by 16.3%, and water by 16.9%. For comparison, overall inflation in Kazakhstan reached 10.2% in July.
Earlier, price increases for chocolate and energy drinks were reported.