The number of Kazakhs whose salaries do not reach the nominal level has increased. According to the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS) of the Republic of Kazakhstan, last year, the share of employees earning below the declared average salary in the country was 69.2%. Based on calculations from statistical data for 2024, this figure has risen to 71.1%, as reported by inbusiness.kz referencing Finprom.
More than 2.4 million out of 3.4 million workers whose salaries were analyzed earned less than 400,000 tenge, while the nominal salary in Kazakhstan during the second quarter of this year exceeded 403,000 tenge. Almost 1.5 million of these workers earned even less—up to 250,000 tenge.
The share of employees receiving more than the nominal salary level is therefore below 30%. Moreover, the proportion of workers earning over 1 million tenge is just 3.3%, totaling slightly over 112,000 individuals.
It is important to note methodologically that the calculations regarding the number of workers based on salary sizes are provided only for the group of employees. The data do not include the incomes of self-employed individuals, individual entrepreneurs, or company founders.
In various sectors of the economy in 2024, the proportions of employees earning no more than 400,000 tenge vary. This depends on the financial and economic condition of the sector as a whole and the average income level of its workers. For instance, in the agricultural sector, despite its critical importance for food security, salaries have been generally lower than in other sectors of the economy for several years. As a result, the proportion of farmers, vegetable growers, livestock breeders, and fishers earning up to 400,000 tenge is the highest compared to other professions, at 90.9%. Close to this are the shares of employees in the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector (88.7%), public servants and social security workers (86.2%), and specialists in administrative and support services (81.4%). The smallest proportion of workers earning up to 400,000 tenge is observed in the finance and insurance sectors (47.8%) and industry (54.1%).
Which sectors of the economy have the most individuals earning over 1 million tenge per month? The largest share of such employees is again found among financiers and insurers (13.9%, or 10.5 thousand people), IT specialists and those establishing communication in the country (12.6%, or 6.6 thousand people), and service providers (12%, or 1.9 thousand people).
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According to long-term reports from the BNS, analysts at Finprom have tracked how nominal, median, and modal salaries have changed in the country over recent years. From 2019 to 2024, all three indicators have risen annually, but there has always been a significant difference between them. For example, with a nominal salary of 403.3 thousand tenge in the second quarter of this year, the median salary was 29.2% lower (285.7 thousand tenge), and the modal salary was four times lower (97.6 thousand tenge).
It is worth noting that the median salary is a measure closer to the "average," as it represents the level at which 50% of workers earn below and above. In contrast, the modal salary is the most frequently occurring salary figure.
The highest level of modal salary in 2024 was observed among those working in oil extraction and quarrying (372.6 thousand tenge), electricity supply (297.7 thousand tenge), and transport and logistics (297.7 thousand tenge). The lowest modal salary figures were recorded in the areas of administrative and support services (82.8 thousand tenge), wholesale and retail trade (82.8 thousand tenge), and the arts, entertainment, and recreation (95.5 thousand tenge).
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Comparing modal and median salaries with the monthly level of household consumer spending leads to the conclusion that a single salary is often insufficient for a family’s most essential expenses. Here’s how the situation looked in the second quarter of this year. Consumer spending amounted to 248.9 thousand tenge. It is fortunate if an employee earned closer to the median salary level—285.7 thousand tenge. However, for those receiving a modal salary near the minimum, this amount was clearly inadequate for living.
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