Kazakhstan is introducing a system of household wellbeing categories — from A to E. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan has provided a detailed explanation of how families' social level will be assessed and who will be able to claim state payments, reports infohub.kz.
The rules for providing support to families have been changed: separate household wellbeing categories have now been introduced. Level A means a high level of wellbeing, level B — affluent, C — satisfactory, D — economically vulnerable, E — economically and socially vulnerable.
The category is not determined by a single indicator. A family is assessed using more than 59 indicators across 8 main areas — from income and debts to ownership of a car, real estate and other assets.
The government previously reported that Kazakhstan has around 70,000 people with level A wellbeing and more than 450,000 with level B. Starting in 2027, they will lose the ability to receive state benefits.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Kazakhstan decided to explain in detail which families fall into categories C, D and E, which will still be able to claim state payments.
According to the ministry, categories C, D and E reflect different degrees of material security and social stability: from a satisfactory level of wellbeing to a vulnerable situation requiring state support.
Category C includes middle-income families that are able to meet their basic daily needs. For example, their members may have jobs, their own housing and a car. At the same time, such families will be able to claim certain state support measures. Everything will depend on the social and material circumstances of the specific household.
Category D will include families experiencing material difficulties. When assessing their situation, the lack of stable employment among able-bodied family members, loan arrears and insufficient living space may be taken into account. According to the Ministry of Labor, a combination of several unfavorable factors may indicate the economic vulnerability of a household. In addition to social payments, such families may be assigned employment and vocational training support measures.
Category E includes families in the most vulnerable position who need priority attention from the state. Such households may simultaneously face a lack of funds for basic needs, lack of their own housing, long loan arrears and limited opportunities to improve their financial situation on their own. In some cases, the family has no able-bodied members.
It is important to understand that no single indicator automatically determines a social wellbeing category. For example, owning an apartment or a car does not by itself indicate a high level of prosperity, and credit obligations do not always mean economic vulnerability.
At the same time, the social wellbeing category may change depending on life circumstances. If financial situation, family composition or property ownership changes, the assessment will be reviewed. Recalculation is carried out monthly.
Earlier, an analyst explained who might be left without certain benefits in Kazakhstan due to the new rules. Also, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov recently stated that the wealthy should rely on their own resources.