Unemployment rate (annual) in Kazakhstan

International Monetary Fund · Annual · Importance

IMF forecast (WEO): 2026: 4.6% 2027: 4.5% 2028: 4.5% 2029: 4.4% 2030: 4.4% 2031: 4.4%

13.5% (1999) ANUAL · % · Annual · CSV

Period	%
Jan 1999	13.5%
Jan 1998	13.1%
Jan 1997	13.0%
Jan 1996	13.0%
Jan 1995	11.0%
Jan 1994	7.5%

About this indicator

Source

International Monetary Fund

Frequency

Annual

Release

Published annually, covering the full year and subject to revision.

What it is

Measures the share of Kazakhstan's labour force that is without a job but available for and seeking work. It is compiled by the Bureau of National Statistics (ASPIRE) and is the main labour market indicator.

How it's calculated

Calculated as the unemployed over the labour force times 100 from the labour force survey, under ILO criteria and as an annual average. The high share of self-employment shapes how the series should be read.

Market implications

In an oil-dependent economy, employment reflects how commodity revenues feed through to the labour market. The official rate is usually low and stable; the National Bank of Kazakhstan focuses mainly on inflation and the tenge, with employment as a backdrop.

Limitations

A low official rate can hide underemployment and extensive low-productivity self-employment, which the figure does not capture. It is subject to sampling error and revisions, and its international comparability is limited.