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Labour · Europe & Central Asia · Upper-middle income
Kazakhstan: the labour market
Labour force is 10.0m (2025), 57th of 187 in the world and 12th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 67.8% (2025), 40th of 187 in the world and 3rd of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 62.6% (2025), 32nd of 187 in the world and 4th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Kazakhstan
Participation rate
KazakhstanEurope & Central AsiaUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Kazakhstan in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 10.0m2025 | 57/187 | 12/49 | 8.0m | 8.9m | 9.5m | +8.7%since 2015 | 429m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 67.8%2025 | 40/187 | 3/49 | 71.0% | 70.9% | 69.2% | −2.7 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 62.6%2025 | 32/187 | 4/49 | 65.8% | 66.3% | 63.6% | −2.8 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 64.5%2025 | 40/187 | 4/49 | 61.9% | 66.8% | 65.8% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 4.8%2025 | 107/187 | 32/49 | 12.8% | 5.8% | 4.9% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 5.5%2025 | 100/187 | 28/49 | 14.7% | 6.6% | 5.4% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 3.8%2025 | 171/187 | 49/49 | 22.7% | 5.2% | 3.8% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 9.5%2016 | 140/170 | 25/46 | 18.6%2001 | 8.2% | · | −3.0 ppsince 2006 | 11.4% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 73.9%2025 | 76/187 | 37/49 | 58.6% | 67.0% | 73.5% | +0.8 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 24.8%2025 | 103/187 | 10/49 | 40.5% | 31.0% | 25.2% | −0.8 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 11.3%2025 | 105/187 | 14/49 | 36.6% | 28.3% | 13.5% | −6.7 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 19.9%2025 | 82/187 | 29/49 | 16.1% | 18.7% | 19.7% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 68.8%2025 | 66/187 | 27/49 | 47.3% | 53.0% | 66.8% | +7.4 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Unemployment−0.2 pp4.8% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−3.0 pp9.5% in 2016
- Wage workers+0.8 pp73.9% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−0.8 pp24.8% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−2.8 pp62.6% in 2025
- Employment rate−2.4 pp64.5% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Kazakhstan and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Kazakhstan. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Kazakhstan | China | Russia | Uzbekistan | Turkmenistan | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 10.0m2025 | 768m2025 | 72.8m2025 | 14.6m2025 | 2.2m2025 | 2.9m2025 |
| Participation rate | 67.8%2025 | 64.6%2025 | 61.1%2025 | 57.5%2025 | 42.0%2025 | 57.4%2025 |
| Women's participation | 62.6%2025 | 59.1%2025 | 54.5%2025 | 41.2%2025 | 38.2%2025 | 44.1%2025 |
| Employment rate | 64.5%2025 | 61.6%2025 | 59.8%2025 | 54.8%2025 | 40.2%2025 | 55.3%2025 |
| Unemployment | 4.8%2025 | 4.6%2025 | 2.1%2025 | 4.6%2025 | 4.3%2025 | 3.5%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 5.5%2025 | 4.0%2025 | 2.2%2025 | 6.6%2025 | 2.5%2025 | 4.0%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 3.8%2025 | 15.8%2025 | 7.6%2025 | 11.4%2025 | 10.0%2025 | 8.2%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 9.5%2016 | — | 6.7%2025 | — | — | 19.3%2023 |
| Wage workers | 73.9%2025 | 62.3%2025 | 93.7%2025 | 54.6%2025 | 68.0%2025 | 69.5%2025 |