In the first half of 2026, the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms reported a record increase in chocolate prices. Compared to January-June of the previous year, chocolate prices rose by 30.3% (approximately one third). This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Long-term statistics show that in recent years, the growth rate of chocolate prices has outpaced overall food inflation. While in 2020–2021 chocolate prices increased by only 8.3–8.5%, from 2022 this indicator accelerated significantly. That year, the increase reached 17.1% and remained high in subsequent years. This indicates that the rise in chocolate prices is not a temporary phenomenon but a stable trend.
Especially in 2025, prices rose sharply, with an increase of 29.9% in January-December. An analysis of monthly indicators over the past year shows several periods of sharp price increases. In August 2025, chocolate rose by 3.8% in one month, and in September by another 4.8%. The next significant increase was recorded in February 2026, with a monthly rise of 3.3%. In June, no significant changes were observed.
Both domestic producers and foreign suppliers contribute to the price increase. However, the decisive impact comes from imports, as Kazakhstan's chocolate market is still dependent on external supplies. In January-May 2026, imports accounted for 60% of the resources of chocolate and confectionery products based on chocolate and sugar. This is roughly the same as in the same period last year (60.5%). Over these five months, the total volume of resources in the country amounted to 97.5 thousand tons, of which more than 58.5 thousand tons were provided by imports. Domestic production increased by 14.1% to 39 thousand tons, but its share in the market remained at about 40%.
An analysis of data from the Bureau of National Statistics shows that in recent years, the share of imports in Kazakhstan's chocolate market has been gradually increasing. While in 2020 the share of imports was 50.6%, by the end of 2025 this figure had risen to 61.8%. The data from the Bureau of National Statistics indicates that Kazakhstani confectionery factories cannot fully supply the domestic market. Nevertheless, they are increasing export volumes. In the first five months of this year, the volume of chocolate exported increased by 25% to 20.1 thousand tons. Meanwhile, sales in the domestic market grew by only 10% to 77.4 thousand tons. This suggests that part of the production is directed to the external market, while domestic demand for chocolate remains high.
According to long-term statistics, chocolate production in Kazakhstan did not grow steadily in 2020-2025. Production volumes fluctuated, with notable declines in 2021, 2024, and 2025. The reason was the incomplete utilization of production capacities by enterprises. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the level of production capacity utilization in 2025 was only 52.2%. That is, chocolate factories used only about half of their capacity and produced approximately twice less than they could.