Kazakhstan: Central government debt, total (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Kazakhstan's central government debt, total (current LCU) rose 12.6% on 2022 (from 22.16 trillion to 24.95 trillion).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2022), the average change was +23% and a typical year strayed about 17.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 57.3% in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.5% in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.16 trillion a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Kazakhstan in the 2023 ranking

• Malawi — 2nd of 5: 9.59 trillion
• Iceland — 3rd of 5: 3.5 trillion
• Botswana — 4th of 5: 52.12 billion

What this measures

Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 14 values

Central government debt, total (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Albania — 1.26 trillion (2024)
• Belarus — 44.79 billion (2019)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 21.36 billion (2024)
• Georgia — 37.3 billion (2024)
• Hungary — 66.82 trillion (2024)
• Iceland — 3.5 trillion (2023)
• Kyrgyz Republic — 612.83 billion (2024)
• Moldova — 121.39 billion (2024)
• Russian Federation — 36.11 trillion (2024)
• San Marino

More public sector data for Kazakhstan

• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 682.3 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.43% (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.31 billion (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 18 million (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 71,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.74% (2020)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 2.55 (2022)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 2.12% (2025)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 1.42 trillion (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Kazakhstan's central government debt, total (current LCU)?

24.95 trillion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2010?

It is up 1,101% from 2.08 trillion in 2010 (21.07% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 24.95 trillion in 2023 and the lowest 2.08 trillion in 2010.

Is the latest change in central government debt, total (current LCU) unusual for Kazakhstan?

In 2023, Kazakhstan's central government debt, total (current LCU) rose 12.6% on 2022 (from 22.16 trillion to 24.95 trillion). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2022), the average change was +23% and a typical year strayed about 17.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.DOD.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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