Real Incomes on the Rise in Kazakistan: Which Sectors Saw the Highest Salary Increases?

The long-standing declining income trend in Kazakistan has started to follow a positive trajectory for the first time after the past year. According to data released by the country's Ministry of National Economy, real cash incomes increased by 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year. The main factor in this positive development was shown as the slowdown in inflation and the relative stabilization of consumer prices. The average nominal monthly income per capita reached 252.619 Tenge, realizing a significant annual increase of 11.8 percent. These data indicate that an important psychological threshold has been crossed in the country's economic recovery process.

Ministry officials stated that there has been a steady decline in the annual inflation rate since the beginning of the year, and this figure dropped to 10.3 percent at the end of June. Emphasizing that approximately two-thirds of the income of Kazakistan's citizens comes from wage labor, it was reminded that employment is the fundamental pillar of economic welfare. It was stated that this situation plays a central role in spreading wage increases to the general economy. Nevertheless, it is assessed that the increase in purchasing power remains limited due to inflation still being in double digits in the public eye. The stabilization of costs allows household budgets to breathe, helping to ease economic crisis pressures.

While average monthly nominal wages increased by 9.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026 in Kazakistan, the real wage index was calculated at 97.7 percent. However, it was observed that these wage increases were not equally reflected in different sectors of the economy, and there were significant differences between sectors. According to the figures, the prominent sector with the highest salary increase was the agriculture sector, which recorded a tremendous jump of 20.3 percent nominally and 7.7 percent in real terms. Finance and insurance activities ranked second with a nominal increase of 18.1 percent, while the manufacturing industry saw a nominal increase of 14 percent and the transportation and storage sectors saw a nominal increase of 12.9 percent, placing them at the top.

When the general industry is evaluated, average salaries increased by 11.6 percent; a large part of this increase occurred thanks to strong performance in the manufacturing industry. The government believes that maintaining this wage growth momentum in non-oil sectors is of great importance in the context of diversifying and strengthening the country's economy. It is noted that rather than traditional sources of income such as oil and natural gas, the development of production, the increase in labor productivity, and the creation of quality employment opportunities directly affect incomes. This situation shows that Kazakistan aims to reduce its dependence on fluctuations in global energy prices. Thanks to the support of domestic production, it is aimed to achieve a sustainable and multifaceted recovery momentum in the economy.

The Ministry of National Economy stated that permanently increasing the welfare level and purchasing power of citizens remains one of the government's fundamental priorities. To this end, an Income Increase Action Plan containing comprehensive measures has been implemented, such as gradually increasing the minimum wage, creating new business areas, supporting entrepreneurship, and focusing on high-value-added sectors. Furthermore, in the joint action program of the government and the central bank covering the 2026-2028 period, it is aimed for the real incomes of the population to grow by at least 2 percent to 3 percent annually. Experts predict that if these comprehensive macroeconomic measures and the fight against inflation are successful, there will be a visible and permanent improvement in living standards in Kazakistan.