ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s government has approved an updated master plan for Astana through 2035, effective Aug. 8, setting out how the capital will accommodate a population projected to reach nearly 2.3 million while expanding housing, schools, transport and utilities.
The plan comes as Astana continues to expand rapidly, driven by sustained population growth. The city had approximately 300,000 residents when it became the capital in 1997. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, by June 1, its population had reached nearly 1.67 million.
Government projections now put the population at 1.97 million by 2030 and 2.28 million by 2035, meaning the capital could add nearly 600,000 residents within the next decade. Planning for a city of more than 2 million The updated master plan uses Jan. 1, 2025, as its baseline, with 2030 designated as the first construction phase and 2035 as the final planning horizon.
The document’s baseline population is 1.528 million, a level Astana has already exceeded. The plan sets out where residential, social, recreational and industrial areas will develop and how they will be supported by transport and engineering infrastructure. It also covers land-use restrictions, reserve territories, environmental protection, emergency resilience and functional zoning.
By 2035, working-age residents are projected to account for 59.5% of the population. Planning also extends beyond the city’s administrative boundaries. The document takes into account Astana’s growing links with the surrounding agglomeration, where transport networks, utilities, housing and social infrastructure are increasingly interconnected with the capital.
Fivefold population growth since capital relocation Astana’s development has accelerated sharply since Kazakhstan moved its capital from Almaty to Akmola on Dec. 10, 1997. The city was renamed Astana the following year and officially presented as the new capital on July 6, 1998.
Its population passed one million in 2018 and reached about 1.35 million by the beginning of 2023. Today, Astana has more than five times as many residents as it did when it became the capital. By 2035, Astana’s population is projected to be more than seven times its 1997 level.
Internal migration has contributed significantly to that expansion, with Astana remaining one of Kazakhstan’s main destinations for people relocating from other regions.