From January to June, the average salary in Kazakhstan increased by 10.3% year-on-year, but inflation completely eroded this growth. As a result, the country ranked last in real wage growth in the Eurasian Economic Union, reports infohub.kz.
Earlier it was reported that the average salary in Kazakhstan reached 486,388 tenge in the second quarter of 2026. However, for the period from January to June, according to the Eurasian Economic Commission, the average figure was 480,461 tenge.
Over the year, nominal wages grew by 10.3%, but due to inflation there was no real growth – real incomes fell by 0.6%. Thus, Kazakhstan became the only country in the EAEU where real wages did not keep pace with price growth.
In other member states, the dynamics of real wages for January–June 2026 were as follows: Armenia – plus 0.9%, Belarus – plus 7.5%, Kyrgyzstan – plus 15.3%, Russia – plus 6.5%.
In terms of average salary in dollar terms, Kazakhstan ranks third among EAEU countries: Russia – $1,431 (695,881 tenge at the average exchange rate), Belarus – $1,026 (498,934 tenge), Kazakhstan – $988 (480,461 tenge), Armenia – $830 (403,621 tenge), Kyrgyzstan – $615 (299,068 tenge).
For a more accurate assessment of income levels, analysts also use the median salary. In the second quarter of 2026, it was 348,415 tenge in Kazakhstan, meaning that half of workers earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more.