Kazakhstan ranked 78th in the world in the KOF Globalization Index for 2025, becoming the leader among Central Asian countries, Qazinform News Agency reports. The index, published annually by the KOF Swiss Economic Institute, is a combined indicator that measures the extent of a country's integration into the global economy.
All countries in the index are evaluated across 24 indicators grouped into three main categories of global integration: Economic globalization — volume of international trade, level of international business activity, trade flows, international investments, tariff policy, restrictions and taxes on international trade, and others.
Social globalization — level of cultural integration, percentage of foreign population, international tourism, international personal contacts, volume of telephone and internet traffic, postal shipments, cross-border money transfers, information flows, development of information and communication infrastructure, and others.
Political globalization — membership in international organizations, participation in international missions (including UN missions), ratification of international multilateral treaties, number of embassies and other foreign representations in the country, and others.
The index draws on data from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the International Telecommunication Union, and other international organizations, as well as national statistical agencies. According to the latest report published in December 2025, Kazakhstan scored 64.17 points, ranking 78th globally.
In particular, Kazakhstan outperformed its Central Asian neighbors: Kyrgyzstan (93rd, 60.79 points), Uzbekistan (125th, 52.27 points), Tajikistan (129th, 51.55 points), and Turkmenistan (184th, 41.64 points). The Netherlands topped the global ranking with 88.90 points, followed by Switzerland and Belgium.
The top ten also included the United Kingdom, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Denmark, France, and Finland. Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakhstan leads Central Asia in the global university standings.