Kazakhstan flag Kazakhstan: Visió econòmica i política

Xifres de comerç exterior de Kazakhstan

Foreign Trade in Figures

Kazakhstan is open to international trade. According to the World Bank, the share of international trade in 2021 amounted to 58% of GDP (World Bank, 2023). Kazakhstan has an export-oriented economy that is highly dependent on shipments of oil and related products (57.2% of total exports). The country has been recording trade surpluses since 1998 mainly due to rise in shipments of oil and other commodities.In addition to oil, its main export commodities include natural gas, ferrous metals, copper, aluminum, zinc, uranium. Kazakhstan's main export products are raw materials, notably oil, petroleum products, coal, iron ore, machinery. Cereals, wool and meat are other major exports. The country imports mainly machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers, Electrical, electronic equipment, and radiotelephone transmitting devices.

Kazakhstan's main international customers are China (19.2% of all exports), Italy and Russia, while the main suppliers are Russia (34.9%), China, South Korea and Germany. Russia and Kazakhstan have undertaken joint projects in many areas, including energy. The government aims to improve the country's integration abroad to increase investment in the country. The country has been a WTO member since 2015 and has trade agreements with many countries in its region. It is also a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan), and the Common Economic Zone (Belarus and Russia). The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) was signed in 2015 between the country and the European Union, and a revised version entered into force in March 2020.

As oil and gas are among Kazakhstan's main exports, the country's trade balance is affected by global commodity prices. Kazakhstan’s total foreign trade turnover amounted to 91.3 billion USD over the period from January through November 2021, an increase of 15.4% compared to 79.1 billion USD during the same period last year. This means that the EU accounts for 31% of all Kazakh foreign trade. The increase is trade has largely been due to the increased amount of freight moving across Eurasia from China to Europe, with the trans-Kazakh route one of the heaviest used. Kazakh imports from China usually arrive by the same rail route and reached about US$8 billion in value in 2021. With these containers being offloaded at Kazakhstan, space is then available for Kazakh goods to continue west to Europe. Kazakhstan’s Statistics Committee has stated that Kazakhstan’s trade with the countries of the European Union reached 28.4 billion USD during the period January – November 2021, which is a 25.6% increase over the 22.6 billion USD achieved during the same period in 2020 (Silk road briefing, 2022). In 2021, total U.S.–Kazakhstan goods trade was 2.65 billion USD, with the United States holding a negative trade balance of 1.56 billion USD.

Kazakhstan recorded a trade surplus of 1309.10 USD Million in December of 2022 (Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 2023).

 
Foreign Trade Values 20172018201920202021
Imports of Goods (million USD) 29,26632,53437,75737,22241,171
Exports of Goods (million USD) 48,30460,95657,30946,44760,625
Imports of Services (million USD) 9,94911,85011,3317,9697,664
Exports of Services (million USD) 6,2617,0707,4674,8375,814

Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data

Foreign Trade Indicators 20172018201920202021
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) 56.863.564.957.057.5
Trade Balance (million USD) 16,30024,83917,0449,24918,756
Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) 12,72220,17813,3806,13716,936
Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) 1.06.614.9-9.0-2.7
Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) 8.09.62.0-11.32.0
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) 24.425.928.426.524.0
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) 32.437.636.430.533.5

Source: World Bank ; Latest available data

Foreign Trade Forecasts 20222023 (e)2024 (e)2025 (e)2026 (e)
Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) 9.210.24.64.71.3
Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) 12.21.61.33.41.4

Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data

Note: (e) Estimated Data

 
International Economic Cooperation
Kazakhstan is a member of the Organization of Shanghai Cooperation, the Eurasian Economic Community, the Common Economic Area and the Organization of Economic Cooperation.
 

Main Partner Countries

Main Customers
(% of Exports)
2020
China 19.2%
Italy 14.2%
Russia 10.4%
Netherlands 6.7%
Uzbekistan 4.5%
See More Countries 45.0%
Main Suppliers
(% of Imports)
2020
Russia 34.9%
China 16.7%
South Korea 12.8%
Germany 4.7%
United States 3.0%
See More Countries 27.9%

Source: Comtrade, 2022. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.

 
 

Main Products

47.0 bn USD of products exported in 2020
Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous...Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude 50.5%
Copper, refined, and copper alloys, unwrought ...Copper, refined, and copper alloys, unwrought (excl. copper alloys of heading 7405) 5.8%
Petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbonsPetroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons 5.3%
Radioactive chemical elements and radioactive...Radioactive chemical elements and radioactive isotopes, incl. their fissile or fertile chemical elements and isotopes, and their compounds; mixtures and residues containing these products 3.7%
Ferro-alloysFerro-alloys 3.5%
See More Products 31.3%
38.1 bn USD of products imported in 2020
Refrigerators, freezers and other refrigerating or...Refrigerators, freezers and other refrigerating or freezing equipment, electric or other; heat pumps; parts thereof (excl. air conditioning machines of heading 8415) 4.9%
Air or vacuum pumps (excl. gas compound elevators...Air or vacuum pumps (excl. gas compound elevators and pneumatic elevators and conveyors); air or other gas compressors and fans; ventilating or recycling hoods incorporating a fan, whether or not fitted with filters; parts thereof 3.5%
Medicaments consisting of mixed or unmixed...Medicaments consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, put up in measured doses "incl. those in the form of transdermal administration" or in forms or packings for retail sale (excl. goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006) 3.1%
Telephone sets, incl. telephones for cellular...Telephone sets, incl. telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks; other apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data, incl. apparatus for communication in a wired or wireless network [such as a local or wide area network]; parts thereof (excl. than transmission or reception apparatus of heading 8443, 8525, 8527 or 8528) 2.7%
Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances for...Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances for pipes, boiler shells, tanks, vats or the like, incl. pressure-reducing valves and thermostatically controlled valves; parts thereof 2.1%
See More Products 83.7%

Source: Comtrade, 2022. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.

 
 

To go further, check out our service Import Export Flows.

 

Main Services

4.9 bn USD of services exported in 2020
68.16%
9.23%
8.91%
3.96%
2.86%
2.33%
2.12%
1.56%
0.83%
0.03%
0.03%
7.6 bn USD of services imported in 2020
45.99%
28.53%
10.89%
4.04%
2.79%
1.92%
1.67%
1.63%
1.56%
0.58%
0.40%

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, 2023. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.

Return to top

Vols fer algun comentari sobre aquest contingut? Escriu-nos.

 

© eexpand, Tots els drets reservats.
Actualitzacions: May 2023

Return to top