Kazakhstan's shadow economy shrinks to 15.69% of GDP in 2025
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Kazakhstan's non-observed economy reached about 25 trillion tenge in 2025, or 15.69% of GDP, according to the Bureau of National Statistics. The share fell 1.02 percentage points from 16.71% in 2024. Trade and construction led the shadow sectors, while Almaty recorded the highest regional share at 3.78% of GDP.
Key Facts
- The non-observed economy of Kazakhstan amounted to about 25 trillion tenge in 2025, or 15.69% of GDP, down 1.02 percentage points from 16.71% in 2024.
- Wholesale and retail trade, including vehicle repair, accounted for 3.07% of GDP, while construction contributed 1.9%.
- Almaty had the highest regional share of the shadow economy at 3.78% of GDP, followed by Astana at 2.52% and Turkestan Region at 0.95%.
- Kazakhstan's GDP reached 159.6 trillion tenge in 2025, with real growth of 6.5%.
- GDP per capita rose 15.4% to 7.8 million tenge, with Atyrau Region leading at 23.3 million tenge per person.
Shadow Economy Structure
The non-observed economy's share of GDP has declined steadily from 20.23% in 2020 to 15.69% in 2025. Trade and construction were the largest shadow sectors, with shares of 3.07% and 1.9% of GDP respectively. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounted for 1.79%, while transport and warehousing contributed 1.08%. Real estate operations reached 1.03%, industry 0.95%, and information and communication 0.61%. Other services made up 5.26% of the non-observed economy.
Regional Distribution
Almaty led all regions with a shadow economy share of 3.78% of national GDP. Astana followed at 2.52%, and Turkestan Region at 0.95%. Almaty Region recorded 0.86%, while Shymkent and Karaganda Region each had 0.84%. The lowest shares were in Ulytau Region at 0.1%, Abai Region at 0.3%, and North Kazakhstan Region at 0.35%.
Overall Economic Performance
Kazakhstan's GDP totaled 159.6 trillion tenge in 2025, with real growth of 6.5%. Almaty, Astana, and Atyrau Region contributed the largest shares of GDP at 22.7%, 12.3%, and 10.4% respectively. Turkestan Region posted the highest regional GDP growth at 13%, followed by North Kazakhstan at 11.6% and Astana at 10.2%. GDP per capita reached 7.8 million tenge, up 15.4% from the previous year. Atyrau Region had the highest per capita GDP at 23.3 million tenge, while Turkestan Region had the lowest at 2.5 million tenge.
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Kazakhstan's shadow economy shrinks to 15.69% of GDP in 2025
