ASTANA — More than 93% of Kazakh citizens describe their household’s financial position as middle income or above, according to a survey by the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS) released on Aug. 5.
Photo credit: AI-generated image/ The Astana Times
The survey found that 70.1% of respondents described themselves as having an average level of material well-being, while 22.9% said they were somewhat above average. A further 4.9% considered themselves relatively well-off, and 0.3% described themselves as affluent. By contrast, only 1.8% assessed their financial situation as below average or poor.
These results come at a time when expanding the middle class has become a central element of Kazakhstan’s economic agenda, moving beyond a narrow focus on household income alone. In his 2024 State of the Nation Address, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that “economic growth should be accompanied by reduced social inequality and a strengthened middle class. Only in this way can we reinforce the country’s potential.”
This reflects a broader shift in economic policy thinking, where growth is increasingly assessed not only through GDP, investment, or industrial output, but also through whether it translates into higher living standards, better-quality jobs, and greater financial security for households.
Comparing 2023 and 2024: a shift in self-perception
BNS data from previous waves of the same survey suggest a modest shift in how Kazakh citizens position themselves within the income structure. In the earlier survey (2023), 74.2% of respondents identified as middle income, compared with 70.1% in the most recent 2024 results. At the same time, the share of those placing themselves above the middle has increased to nearly 23%.
Taken at face value, this could indicate a gradual rebalancing of self-perception, with fewer respondents identifying strictly as “middle” and more moving into the “above average” category. However, this should be interpreted cautiously. The change may reflect not only material improvements, but also shifts in expectations, inflation perceptions, or changing reference points for what households consider “average”. In other words, the data may suggest that Kazakh citizens are not only evaluating their income, but also redefining what “middle class” means in a changing economy.
Regional and demographic differences
The survey also highlights differences across regions and demographic groups. Among urban residents, 70.9% described their financial position as average, compared with 68.2% in rural areas. However, rural respondents were slightly more likely to identify themselves as relatively well-off (5.8%, compared with 4.6% in cities), while also being more likely to describe their situation as below average (3.2% versus 1.1%).
Men generally assessed their financial standing more positively than women. One quarter of male respondents said their income was somewhat above average, compared with 21.6% of women, while 5.7% of men and 4.5% of women considered themselves relatively well-off. This gap may reflect a mix of factors, including differences in income perception, social expectations, and variation in how respondents choose to self-report their financial status. Again, this is an interpretive observation rather than a statistical conclusion.
Beyond income perception, the survey indicates broadly positive attitudes toward household finances. 38.2% of respondents said they were satisfied with their financial situation, while 59.6% reported being partially satisfied. Only 0.5% said they were dissatisfied. Similar results were recorded for assessments of overall household economic conditions, with 39.6% fully satisfied and 57.9% partially satisfied.
Perception vs. objective indicators
The distinction between perceived and actual economic status is important because perceptions of prosperity do not always align with traditional macroeconomic indicators. A range of international research in behavioral economics and sociology, including work by the OECD, the World Bank, and studies published in journals such as the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, has shown that households often assess their financial well-being relative to expectations and to the living standards of those around them, rather than by income alone.
As living standards rise, expectations tend to rise as well, which can reshape how people define what it means to be “middle class.” This means that a stable or even improving economy can still produce shifts in self-assessment that do not directly mirror income growth statistics.
What the trend may suggest
Taken together, the comparison between 2023 and 2024 suggests a gradual shift in how Kazakh citizens locate themselves within the income distribution, with fewer identifying as strictly middle income and more placing themselves above that threshold.
Whether this reflects real income growth, inflation-adjusted improvements, or changing social benchmarks remains open to interpretation. However, the direction of self-perception combined with consistently high levels of reported financial satisfaction may indicate that Kazakh citizens are, at minimum, not experiencing a deterioration in perceived living standards, and may be gradually adjusting upward in how they define their economic position.
As policymakers continue to emphasize inclusive growth alongside headline economic performance, these perceptions may become an increasingly important lens through which they can understand how economic change is experienced on the ground.
