Government and power in Kazakhstan
Who leads Kazakhstan, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic.
Who leads Kazakhstan?
- Head of state: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (President of the Republic of Kazakhstan)
- Head of government: Olzhas Bektenov (Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan)
- Foreign minister: Mukhtar Tileuberdi (Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan)
Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does Kazakhstan score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 40.1 out of 100 in 2025, 139th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 74.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 41.8.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Kazakhstan score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 62 out of 100 in 2025, 119th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 73.5). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 66.1.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Kazakhstan score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 54.5 out of 100 in 2025, 92nd highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 69.4). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 49.7.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Kazakhstan score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 55.9 out of 100 in 2025, 81st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 66.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 54.5.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Kazakhstan score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 51.9 out of 100 in 2025, 113th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 70.8). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 50.6.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Kazakhstan score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 42.8 out of 100 in 2025, 96th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 60.7). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 30.8.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in Kazakhstan's parliament?
Women held 18.4% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2025, 130th highest of 184 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of Kazakhstan's ministers are women?
Women held 19.0% of ministerial posts in 2025, 110th highest of 190.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the government of Kazakhstan spend?
Central government spending (expense) was 17.4% of GDP in 2023.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much tax does the government of Kazakhstan collect?
Central government tax revenue was 11.9% of GDP in 2023, 91st highest of 110.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does Kazakhstan spend on the military?
Military spending was 0.4% of GDP in 2025, 141st highest of 149 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of Kazakhstan?
Armed forces personnel numbered 71,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are Kazakhstan's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 84.9 out of 100 in 2024, 44th highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in Kazakhstan?
99.7% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2015).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in Kazakhstan use the internet?
93.4% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in Kazakhstan
Government
- Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (Government)Government decisions, meeting reports and statements of the Prime Minister.
- President of Kazakhstan (Akorda)Presidential decrees, addresses and official statements.
Parliament
- Mazhilis of the ParliamentDraft laws, plenary session information and the list of Mazhilis deputies.
- Senate of the ParliamentLaws considered by the Senate, session information and senator profiles.
Elections
- Central Election CommissionElection and referendum results, candidate registration and commission resolutions.
Courts
- Supreme Court of KazakhstanSupreme Court rulings, normative resolutions and court statistics.
Asset declarations
- Anti-Corruption AgencyAnti-corruption reports, statistics and national anti-corruption policy documents.
Public contracts
- State procurement web portalPublic procurement plans, announcements, contracts and the register of unreliable suppliers.
Laws and the official gazette
- Adilet Legal Information SystemThe state database of laws and normative legal acts of Kazakhstan.
Government below the national level
- Regions (oblys, 17) and cities of republican significance (Astana, Almaty, Shymkent): Akim appointed by the President, who must propose at least two candidates for a vote of consent by the maslikhat deputies (2026 Constitution); maslikhat directly elected for five years
- Districts (audan, about 180) and cities of regional significance (about 37): Akim mostly appointed by the regional akim (direct elections being piloted in some districts since 2023); maslikhat directly elected
- Rural districts, villages, settlements and towns of district significance (about 2,400 akim posts): Akim directly elected by residents since 2021
How local power works in Kazakhstan
Places in Kazakhstan
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.