Wednesday, August 19, 2026 The English edition of ostwirtschaft.de Newsletter
Eastern Economy.
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Kazakhstan vs Russia: Economic Comparison 2026

Kazakhstan (KZT) against Russia (RUB) across 16 indicators — output, prices, rates, external position and the productive-sector view at purchasing power parity. Data: World Bank, IMF WEO, Eurostat and national central banks, refreshed automatically. More on Kazakhstan in the data terminal · Russia terminal.

Head to head

IndicatorKazakhstanRussia
GDP, nominal $bn 3062025 2,5612025
GDP at PPP, intl $bn 9232025 7,2362025
Population, m 20.82025 143.52025
Real GDP growth 2025 6.5%2025 1.0%2025
GDP forecast 2026 (IMF) 4.3%2026f 0.9%2026f
Inflation (CPI) 9.4%2026e 6.0%Jul 2026
Policy rate 16.75%18 Aug 14.00%18 Aug
Unemployment (ILO/WEO) 4.8%2025 2.1%2025
Current account, % GDP -3.7%2026f 1.8%2026f
Gov. debt, % GDP 27.9%2026f 22.5%2026f
Food, % of household spend 24.5%2021
Remittances, % GDP 0.1%2025 0.1%2025
Credit to private sector, % GDP 28%2025 55%2021
Trade openness, % GDP 57%2024 34%2025
Price level index (US≈100) 332025 352025
Population growth 1.21%2025 -0.11%2025
Green = the stronger reading where direction is unambiguous (growth ↑, inflation ↓, debt ↓, food share ↓). Inflation marked e = IMF WEO annual-average forecast where monthly data lags. Period shown per value.

Productive sectors · Sapir view

Agri %Industry %Productive shareProductive GDP, PPP $bn
Kazakhstan 20253.732.336.1%333
Russia 20253.129.732.7%2,368
Goods-producing base (agriculture + industry incl. construction) valued at PPP, following Jacques Sapir's argument that services-heavy nominal GDP understates industrial economies. Source: World Bank WDI.

Trends

Quick answers

Which economy is bigger, Kazakhstan or Russia?

At market exchange rates Russia: $2,561bn vs $306bn nominal GDP (2025, World Bank). At purchasing power parity: 923 intl $bn vs 7,236.

Whose productive base is larger?

Valued by the Sapir method (agriculture + industry incl. construction at PPP), Russia leads: $2,368bn vs $333bn (2025/2025, World Bank).

How high is inflation in Kazakhstan?

9.4% expected 2026 average (IMF WEO).

How much do households in Kazakhstan spend on food?

24.5% of consumption (2021, World Bank ICP 2021).

How high is inflation in Russia?

6.0% year-over-year (Jul 2026).

More comparisons