ASTANA — Chinese business publication All China Review on July 16 placed Kazakhstan at the center of Central Asia’s economic growth, citing its output, investment stock, banking system and transit role. Kazakh economists said the country’s position rests on the combined weight of these factors.
Published on the day President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shanghai, the article compares the five Central Asian economies through their scale, structure, financial capacity and links with China. According to All China Review, Kazakhstan’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) reached $306 billion in 2025, accounting for 53.7% of Central Asia’s combined output.
Uzbekistan recorded $147.1 billion, followed by Turkmenistan at $77.4 billion, the Kyrgyz Republic at $21.6 billion and Tajikistan at $17.5 billion. Financial analyst Andrey Chebotarev Photo credit: Chebotarev’s Instagram page The gap was also reflected in GDP per capita, which stood at approximately $15,000 in Kazakhstan, compared with $11,600 in Turkmenistan, $3,800 in Uzbekistan, $3,000 in the Kyrgyz Republic and $1,700 in Tajikistan.
The publication links Kazakhstan’s regional position to the structure of its economy, highlighting the contributions of trade, manufacturing and mining, as well as the overall scale of its economy. Trade accounts for close to 20% of gross value added, while manufacturing contributes 13% and mining 11.9%.
It also points to the expansion of manufacturing, digital industries, logistics, financial services and innovation-driven sectors as part of efforts to reduce reliance on commodity exports. Financial analyst Andrey Chebotarev offered a brief reflection on the article in a post on his Finance.kz Telegram channel.
“Sometimes it is useful to see ourselves through someone else’s eyes,” he wrote. Foreign direct investment (FDI) provides one of the widest gaps in the comparison. Citing United Nations Trade and Development data, All China Review reported that Central Asia’s accumulated inward FDI reached $220.5 billion in 2024.
Kazakhstan accounted for $151.3 billion, or 68.6% of the total. Turkmenistan held $44.6 billion, Uzbekistan $16.7 billion, while the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan each accounted for approximately $4 billion.