ALMATY – Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover reached $143.9 billion in January–December 2025, a nominal increase of 1.3% compared to the previous year, according to data published by the Kazakh Bureau of National Statistics on February 16. The figure masks a widening divergence between the country's export and import trajectories.
Exports declined 3.2% to $79 billion, while imports surged 7.4% to $64.8 billion, widening the trade surplus but reflecting growing domestic consumption and industrial demand for foreign goods.
Top Partners Concentrate Trade Flows
The top 10 export destinations accounted for 79% of Kazakhstan's total outbound shipments in 2025, underscoring the persistent concentration of the country's external trade relationships. Italy absorbed 19.8% of exports, narrowly edging out China at 19.2%, making these two markets the dominant drivers of Kazakh commodity shipments.
Russia ranked third at 10.3%, followed by the Netherlands (7.6%), Türkiye (4.9%), and Uzbekistan (4.5%). Together, these six countries form the core of Kazakhstan's export architecture, with energy resources serving as the primary load-bearing commodity across all of them.
On the import side, Kazakhstan's sourcing patterns are heavily tilted toward two neighbors. Russia supplied 29.7% of imports, nearly identical to China's 29.2% share. Germany (4.8%), South Korea (3.5%), the United States (3.3%), and France (2.4%) rounded out the remaining key suppliers.
Export Basket Remains Commodity-Heavy
Crude oil and petroleum products constituted the single largest export category at 50.5% of total outbound shipments, reflecting Kazakhstan's continued dependence on hydrocarbon revenues. Processed metals and mineral inputs also played significant roles: radioactive chemical elements and isotopes accounted for 5.3%, refined copper and copper alloys for 5.2%, copper ores and concentrates for 3.6%, and ferroalloys for 2.6%.
This composition highlights the nation's reliance on extractive industries and downstream processing rather than higher-value manufacturing exports.
Import Demand Driven by Vehicles and Healthcare
Kazakhstan's import bill was led by passenger cars at 4.4% of total inbound shipments, followed by pharmaceuticals (2.8%), telephone equipment (2.4%), vehicle bodies (2.3%), and auto parts and components (2.2%). The pattern indicates sustained appetite for consumer goods, transport equipment, and healthcare products amid an expanding domestic market.
The gap between falling exports and rising imports signals a structural shift in Kazakhstan's external trade balance. While commodity revenues continue to anchor the national economy, the growing import dependency suggests domestic demand is increasingly met by foreign production—a dynamic that underscores the urgency of industrial diversification efforts as the country navigates evolving global trade conditions.