As of January this year, prices for outerwear in Kazakhstan have increased by 10% compared to the same month in 2024. The most significant price hikes were observed in Turkestan (19.1%), East Kazakhstan (15.6%), and Abai (13.8%) regions. The lowest annual price growth was recorded in Pavlodar and Zhambyl regions, with a rise of 5.4% in each area, reports Energyprom.kz.
Men's clothing has risen in price by an average of 9.9%, women's clothing by 10.3%, and children's clothing by 9.7%.
Among men's clothing, the largest price increases were seen in windbreakers (13.9%), down jackets and T-shirts (11.8%), sweaters (11.1%), underwear (11%), shirts and tank tops (10.5%). Sports suits and socks became more expensive by 8.9%, trousers by 8.4%, coats by 7.5%, two-piece suits by 7.3%, and jeans by 6.7%.
In women's clothing, windbreakers had the highest price increase (15.1%), followed by down jackets (14.1%), underwear (also 14.1%), coats (13.1%), tights (12.3%), bathrobes (11.7%), and fur coats (10.8%). Nightgowns rose in price by 10.1%, sweaters by 10%, sports suits and T-shirts by 9.7%, dresses and two-piece suits by 9.3%, blouses and bras by 9%. Jeans increased by 7.7%, skirts by 7.4%, and trousers by 7.1%.
Among children's clothing, the most significant price increases were for transitional outerwear (13.6%), winter jackets for schoolchildren (12.6%), shirts (12.4%), sweaters (11.8%), winter overalls (10.7%), and school suits (10.2%). Sports suits and underwear rose in price by 9.9%, blouses by 9.4%, tights by 8.8%, T-shirts by 8.4%, pajamas by 8.1%, and dresses by 7.8%. Skirts, socks, and golf socks became 7.6% more expensive, trousers by 7%, suits by 5.9%, and jeans by 5.3%.
What happens if we compare prices in Kazakhstan with other countries? According to Numbeo data, as of February 19 this year, jeans like Levi’s 501 or their equivalents in Kazakhstan averaged $73.4, men's leather dress shoes were $98.9, Nike sneakers or other mid-range footwear were $98.6, and a summer dress from a chain store like Zara or H&M cost $43.9.
In terms of affordability, Kazakhstan ranked 66th out of 98 in the world for jeans, 57th for men's leather dress shoes, 79th for sneakers, and 74th for summer dresses.
The cheapest jeans in the world are sold in Kenya, men's leather shoes in Nepal, and sneakers and summer dresses in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the most expensive jeans, men's leather shoes, and sneakers are purchased by residents of Switzerland, while summer dresses are most costly in Argentina.
Among CIS countries, jeans are cheapest in Uzbekistan, men's leather shoes in Azerbaijan, and sneakers and dresses in Ukraine*. The most expensive jeans are sold in Kazakhstan, men's leather shoes in Moldova, and sneakers and dresses in Azerbaijan.
* Ukraine's status in the CIS is contentious for various reasons.
0 It is worth noting that Kazakh manufacturers provide very little clothing to the market, and the level of self-sufficiency has remained extremely low for many years — the situation shows no improvement.
Thus, from January to November last year, domestic companies managed to meet demand (sales in the domestic market and exports) for outerwear by only 0.6%, compared to 0.4% the previous year. A total of 602.6 thousand units of outerwear were produced in the country, while imports reached a staggering 92.3 million units. Additionally, the sales of outerwear in Kazakhstan dropped by 33.2%, to 88.4 million items.
The supply of knitted outerwear met only 0.5% of demand: with 182.6 thousand units produced, 33.7 million items were imported. Demand for underwear was covered by Kazakh companies by only 0.8%, for clothing and accessories for infants — also 0.8%, and for sweaters, jumpers, pullovers, and similar clothing — by 0.9%. A higher figure was recorded for hosiery (still only 4.6%) and for sports, ski, and swimwear (7.3%).
1 Let's take a closer look at imports. Over the past 12 months, 159.7 thousand tons of clothing worth $2.2 billion were imported into the country. Compared to the previous year, the volume of imports decreased by 13% in physical terms and by 36.6% in monetary terms.
Of this, 49.8 thousand tons of clothing were imported from CIS countries — 21.7% more than in 2023. The largest supplier was Russia (28.7 thousand tons), followed by Uzbekistan (20.1 thousand tons), Belarus (694.4 tons), Kyrgyzstan (105.3 tons), and Tajikistan (86.9 tons).
Conversely, imports from non-CIS countries decreased by 23%, totaling 109.9 thousand tons. The main suppliers were China (85.5 thousand tons), Turkey (15.3 thousand tons), and Bangladesh (4.7 thousand tons).
2