Kazakhstan at its true size
Kazakhstan covers 2,724,900 km², number 9 of 194 countries by area. Home to 20,843,754 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 2.27× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 2,724,900 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 20,843,754 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 7.6 per km² |
| Capital | Astana |
| Local time in Astana | |
| Time zone | UTC+5 IANA |
| Currency | Kazakhstani tenge (KZT) Wikidata |
| Languages | Russian, Kazakh |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Central Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +7 |
| Codes | KZ · KAZ · 398 |
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Where Kazakhstan ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#65 of 19421 million people#25 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#184 of 1947.6 people per km²#47 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#101 of 19262% urban#26 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#55 of 1922.98 births per woman#7 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#83 of 192+1.21% a year#21 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#75 of 19219.5 births per 1,000 people#14 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#115 of 1926.7 deaths per 1,000 people#14 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#73 of 19229.1% under 15#14 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#85 of 1929.0% aged 65 and over#16 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#95 of 192−0.4 per 1,000 people#29 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#102 of 1900.20 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#24 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#92 of 19274.5 years#27 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#130 of 1917.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#33 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#37 of 1783.75 doctors per 1,000 people#4 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#72 of 14552.9% gross enrolment#17 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#59 of 190an index of 0.837#14 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#68 of 185$13,740 a person#15 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#38 of 18493% online#12 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#51 of 184$44,293 a person#13 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#23 of 187+6.5% a year#11 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#20 of 176+11.4% a year#4 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#99 of 1784.8% of the labour force#18 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#136 of 1490.0% under $3.00 a day#25 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#127 of 149a Gini index of 29.2#27 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#105 of 17811.3% of jobs#30 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#79 of 17819.9% of jobs#32 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#58 of 17868.8% of jobs#12 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#170 of 184-0.3% of GDP#43 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#96 of 16831.6% of GDP#20 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#147 of 1550.4% of GDP#38 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#59 of 191127 subscriptions per 100 people#21 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#14 of 18512.6 tonnes a person#8 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#175 of 1921% forest#41 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#166 of 1902.0% renewable#32 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#87 of 19119.6 µg/m³#38 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#142 of 19110.1% of the land protected#31 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#90 of 19011.3% of the land arable#21 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#48 of 17634.6% of its available fresh water#28 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#158 of 180250 mm a year#34 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Kazakhstan’s area, lit up on the map →
- Argentina0.98×Kazakhstan and Argentina are almost exactly the same size.
- Algeria1.14×Kazakhstan is 14% larger than Algeria.
- DR Congo1.16×Kazakhstan is 16% larger than DR Congo.
- India0.83×Kazakhstan is 17% smaller than India.
- Saudi Arabia1.21×Kazakhstan is 21% larger than Saudi Arabia.
- Mexico1.38×Kazakhstan is 38% larger than Mexico.
How many times does Kazakhstan fit into…
- Russia: about 6.3 times
- Canada: about 3.7 times
- United States: about 3.6 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Kazakhstan shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Irtysh4,248 km
- Ural2,428 km
- Syr Dar2,212 km
- Tobol1,591 km
Summits
- Pik Talgar4,979 m
Lakes
- Lake Balkhash18,200 km²
- South Aral Sea10,780 km²
- North Aral Sea3,300 km²
- Alaköl2,650 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Kazakhstan. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Kazakhstan
- How big is Kazakhstan?
- Kazakhstan covers 2,724,900 km², which makes it number 9 of 194 countries by area. About 20,843,754 people live there (2025), 7.6 per km².
- Is Kazakhstan bigger than Argentina?
- Kazakhstan and Argentina are almost exactly the same size. Kazakhstan: 2,724,900 km²; Argentina: 2,780,400 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Kazakhstan?
- At about 48° latitude, Mercator stretches Kazakhstan to roughly 2.27× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Kazakhstan?
- Kazakhstan shares a land border with Russia, China, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan.