# Kazakhstan and Russia compared

Kazakhstan and Russia side by side: 49 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 7 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/kaz-vs-rus
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Kazakhstan: 1465 — Kerei and Janibek found the Kazakh Khanate
- Russia: 882 — Oleg takes Kiev and Kievan Rus' becomes a single state

## Economy

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $291 B | 2024 | $2.17 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $14,155 | 2024 | $14,889 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 5.0% | 2024 | 4.3% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 8.7% | 2024 | 8.4% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 57.2% | 2024 | 39.5% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21 m | 2024 | 144 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 74.5 yrs | 2024 | 73.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 62.1% | 2024 | 75.1% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 3.0 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 42.6 | 2024 | 32.0 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 61.1 | 2024 | 50.5 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 54.2 | 2024 | 45.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 55.6 | 2024 | 38.0 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 50.4 | 2024 | 37.1 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 46.5 | 2024 | 29.8 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 3.8% | 2023 | 7.0% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 3.75 | 2023 | 5.11 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 9.4 | 2024 | 5.2 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 93.0% | 2024 | 97.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 91.5% | 2024 | 76.3% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 99.7% | 2009 | 99.9% | 2021 |
| Education spending | 4.9% | 2023 | 4.2% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 97.3% | 2025 | 97.7% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 97.6% | 2025 | 92.5% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 52.9% | 2025 | 60.4% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.2% | 2024 | 0.9% | 2024 |
| Researchers (per million) | 758 | 2024 | 2,639 | 2024 |
| Internet users | 93.4% | 2024 | 94.4% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 127 | 2024 | 186 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 42.2% | 2024 | 9.7% | 2021 |

## Geography

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 2,699,700 km² | 2023 | 16,376,870 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 1.3% | 2023 | 49.8% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 79.4% | 2023 | 13.2% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 12.6 | 2024 | 14.0 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 2.0% | 2021 | 3.5% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 26.8% | 2021 | 18.5% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 14.8% | 2021 | 9.7% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 9.1% | 2021 | 2.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | 710 kt | 2025 | 1.3 Mt | 2025 |
| Iron ore | 35 Mt | 2025 | 86 Mt | 2025 |
| Gold (mined) | 130 t | 2025 | 310 t | 2025 |
| Bauxite | 4.8 Mt | 2025 | 5.7 Mt | 2025 |
| Zinc (mined) | 360 kt | 2025 | 430 kt | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | 1.9 Mt | 2025 | 14 Mt | 2025 |
| Cobalt (mined) | — | — | 7,700 t | 2025 |
| Nickel (mined) | — | — | 200 kt | 2025 |
| Rare earths | — | — | 2,600 t | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Kazakhstan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 0.4% | 2024 | 7.1% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $1.2 B | 2024 | $149 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 71,000 | 2020 | 1.5 m | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/KAZ.md and https://terralore.co/country/RUS.md.

## Entangled histories (7 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1731: **The Little Horde accepts Russian protection** — Abu'l-Khayr Khan of the Little Horde swears allegiance to the Russian Empire for protection against the Dzungars; the Middle Horde follows in 1740 and part of the Great Horde in 1742, opening the steppe to Russian power. (from the Kazakhstan chronicle; sources: History of Kazakhstan; Kazakhstan)
- 1771: **Ablai Khan elected ruler of the Kazakhs** — Ablai (Abylai) is elected khan of the Kazakhs and balances between the Russian and Qing empires to preserve a degree of independence; he endures as a national symbol of Kazakh sovereignty. (from the Kazakhstan chronicle; sources: Abylai the King: A Warrior, Diplomat and Patriot; History of Kazakhstan)
- 1822–1848: **Russia abolishes the Kazakh khanates** — To end Kazakh autonomy, Russia abolishes the khanate of the Middle Horde in 1822, the Little Horde in 1824, and the Great Horde in 1848, dismantling the political structure of the Kazakh Khanate. (from the Kazakhstan chronicle; sources: History of Kazakhstan; Kazakhstan)
- 1837–1847: **Kenesary Kasymov's revolt** — Kenesary Kasymov, a grandson of Ablai Khan, leads the largest Kazakh uprising against Russian rule, fighting to restore the independent khanate until he is killed in 1847. (from the Kazakhstan chronicle; sources: History of Kazakhstan; Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies)
- 5 December 1936: **Kazakh S.S.R. becomes a union republic** — Kazakhstan, an autonomous republic since 1920 and renamed the Kazak A.S.S.R. in 1925, is raised to a full constituent republic of the Soviet Union under the 1936 constitution. (from the Kazakhstan chronicle; sources: History of Kazakhstan; Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies)
- 1949–1989: **Semipalatinsk nuclear test site** — The Soviet Union conducts some 456 nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk site in northeastern Kazakhstan between 1949 and 1989, exposing local populations to radioactive fallout with severe long-term health effects. (from the Kazakhstan chronicle; sources: Kazakhstan; Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies)
- 16 December 1991: **Kazakhstan declares independence** — Kazakhstan proclaims itself a sovereign, independent state, the last of the Soviet republics to declare independence, with Nursultan Nazarbayev as president; the USSR formally dissolves days later. (from the Kazakhstan chronicle; sources: Kazakhstan: Independent Kazakhstan; History of Kazakhstan)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/KAZ/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/RUS/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Kazakhstan and Russia compared", terralore.co/compare/kaz-vs-rus, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.