The Ulytau region has topped the ranking of Kazakhstan regions by average monthly salary in the first quarter of 2026. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, in January–March the average salary in the Ulytau region was 637,300 tenge. This is 43.2% or 192,300 tenge higher than the national average of 445,100 tenge.
Second place went to the Atyrau region with an average salary of 610,100 tenge, third to the Mangystau region, where workers received an average of 608,400 tenge. Next were Astana with 559,900 tenge and Almaty with 551,600 tenge.
The lowest average monthly salaries were recorded in the North Kazakhstan region — 308,200 tenge. Followed by the Zhambyl region (319,000 tenge), Turkistan region (324,900 tenge) and Shymkent (328,600 tenge).
The high figures in Ulytau are largely explained by the region's industrial specialization. The region's economy is based on the mining and metallurgical complex, where traditionally high wages are maintained. One of the largest employers in the region is the Kazakhmys group of companies, whose enterprises provide thousands of jobs and implement production development projects.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the highest salaries by industry are received by mining workers — an average of 1,020,632 tenge per month. Second is the information and communication sector with an average salary of 779,288 tenge. In industry, the average monthly wage exceeds 620,000 tenge, and in transport and warehousing it approaches 600,000 tenge.