As of early 2026, Kazakhstan's youth population reached 5.89 million, increasing by 69,400 or 1.2% over the year. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Energyprom.kz.

Their share of the total population remained unchanged at 28.7%. The number of young men amounted to 3.01 million, which is 38,600 or 1.3% more than at the beginning of 2025. Their share among all men in the country remained at 30%.

The number of young women increased by 30,800 or 1.1% to reach 2.88 million. Their share among all women in the country also remained unchanged at 27.5%.

Urban and rural youth

The number of young people living in cities increased by 91,400 or 2.5% over the year to reach 3.76 million. Their share of the total urban population remained at 28.7%. In rural areas, on the contrary, the number of young people decreased by 22,000 or 1% to 2.13 million.

Housing programs

One of the most important issues for young people in Kazakhstan is housing, so Otbasy Bank is implementing a number of programs aimed at providing housing for youth. These include "Zhas Otbasy", "Program for Young Scientists", "With a Diploma - to the Village" and regional youth programs.

"Almaty Zhastary" program

The first such program was "Almaty Zhastary". In 2026, the program will celebrate its tenth anniversary. Over this time, its scope has expanded significantly: in the first year, only 100 people took out loans, while in 2025, 2,276 loans were issued under the "Almaty Zhastary" program. Since the program's inception, 8,326 young Almaty residents have acquired housing. The next stage of application acceptance has recently ended.

It is also planned to begin selecting participants for the regional housing program "Atyrau Kala Zhastary".

Terms of regional programs

The terms of regional programs are simple: down payment from 10%, loan rate from 5% (from 5.2% to 5.7% for the SZHTM). Apartments can be purchased on the primary and secondary markets.

Youth programs cover all regions of Kazakhstan (except Turkestan, East Kazakhstan and Akmola regions). Thanks to these programs, 12,480 young families were provided with housing. In 2025 alone, 3,605 loans were issued under regional housing programs for youth.

Thanks to these and other programs, 283,400 people under the age of 35 gained access to their own housing.

Regions with a high share of youth

As of early 2026, the highest share of youth in the population was recorded in Shymkent (31.6%), Astana (31.5%), Turkestan region (31.4%) and Almaty (31.1%).

Among regions, the share of youth was high in Mangystau (29.8%), Kyzylorda (29.5%), Atyrau and Zhambyl (29.4% each). The lowest rates were recorded in East Kazakhstan (23.4%), North Kazakhstan (24.4%) and Abai (24.8%) regions.