Kazakhstan has placed 34th in the Most Powerful Countries 2026 ranking published by World Population Review, positioning it between Hungary and Egypt and ahead of Denmark, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, according to infohub.kz.
Denmark is in 36th place, the United Arab Emirates 37th, South Africa 38th, and Norway 39th. Saudi Arabia ranks 40th, Pakistan 42nd, and Iran 46th.
Among the post-Soviet states listed, only Russia ranks higher than Kazakhstan, at 11th. Ukraine is 51st, Lithuania 56th, Belarus 57th, and Uzbekistan 71st.
The top three are China, the United States, and India, followed by Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Italy.
World Population Review cites U.S. News & World Report for the international influence ranking. Its explanation lists five criteria: leadership, economic influence, political influence, international alliances, and military strength. The list position is labeled Power Rank: the lower the number, the higher the country's standing.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that Kazakhstan ranked 38th in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking, ahead of Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Italy. The study assesses countries based on economic performance, government and business efficiency, and infrastructure.