Nearly 90% of poor Kazakhstanis live in large families

More than 1 million people in Kazakhstan have incomes below the subsistence minimum. At the same time, almost 90% of them live in large families. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

This follows from data from the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS) for the second quarter of 2026.

Key indicators

According to the agency, in the second quarter, 1.034 million Kazakhstanis, or 5% of the country's population, had incomes below the subsistence minimum. A year earlier, this figure was 5.1%.

The largest share of the low-income population falls on households of five or more people. They are home to 908,800 people with incomes below the subsistence minimum. This is about 88% of the total number of Kazakhstanis with such incomes.

Another 75,000 low-income people live in households of four people. Families of three people account for a significantly smaller share of the population with incomes below the subsistence minimum.

The link between household size and poverty

Thus, BNS statistics show a direct link between household size and the risk of falling below the subsistence minimum. The more people per household, the higher the concentration of the low-income population.

At the same time, the situation varies noticeably depending on the region. The highest share of the population with incomes below the subsistence minimum in the second quarter was recorded in Turkistan Region — 8.4%. In Abai Region, the figure was 7.6%, in Zhetisu — 7.2%, and in Mangystau Region — 7%.

At the other end of the list is Astana, where 2.9% of the population had incomes below the subsistence minimum. The average for Kazakhstan was 5%.

The situation in rural areas

The problem is especially noticeable in rural areas. For example, in villages of Aktobe Region, the share of the population with incomes below the subsistence minimum reached 11.1%, in Turkistan Region — 10%. In Ulytau, the figure was 9.3%, in Zhetisu — 9.2%.

Overall poverty dynamics

Despite the significant number of people with low incomes, overall poverty in Kazakhstan decreased slightly over the year. In the second quarter of 2025, 5.1% of the population were below the subsistence minimum, compared with 5% in the second quarter of 2026.