Population in northern regions of Kazakhstan may shrink by 20-25% by 2050, expert

The Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical University held an international conference themed Demographic trends in Kazakhstan and northern regions: modern challenges and development prospects. It spotlighted the reduction of population in the country’s north that aroused concern among experts, Kazinform News Agency reports.

Senator Bekbol Orynbassarov said human migration is driven by insufficient development of infrastructure and economic hardships in the region. He stressed the need to create workplaces and improve living conditions to attract investors to the region.

He said northern Kazakhstan reports a strong outmigration mainly due to underemployment and poor infrastructure. He reminded the Head of State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, set a task to increase investments up to 150 billion US dollars by 2029 which needs creating conditions for investors.

He added people from northern regions move to Russia or large cities of Kazakhstan namely Almaty, Astana and Karaganda worsening the population problem. Many rural settlements turned into ghost villages following the transition to the market economy.

The senator noted it is crucial to use a scientific approach to solve population problems. A working group was set up at the Senate to deal with labor migration and the development of a scheme for the rational distribution of production capacities.

Associate professor Kairat Bodaukhan added annual outmigration from northern regions reaches 1-2% which may lead to a significant reduction in population by 2050. If the situation is not changed, population in northern regions may shrink by 20-25%.

He highlighted it is crucial to draft a comprehensive program to encourage people to stay in northern regions and improve the socioeconomic environment.

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