Tokayev announces sweeping changes in Kazakhstan: ten key statements

Key statements by the president

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a programmatic address in which he addressed issues of inflation, social support, the tax system, road quality, and public administration reform. This was reported by kun.uz. According to the outlet, the president declared 2027 the 'year of large-scale nationwide construction': the regions are set to see road construction, renovation of railway stations and airports, the building of hospitals, sports complexes, libraries and creativity centers, as well as continued housing construction, gasification of settlements, and provision of clean drinking water to citizens.

National Fund resources and economic benchmarks

By the end of 2029, 6.5 trillion tenge ($14.3 billion) is planned to be allocated from Kazakhstan's National Fund. According to Tokayev, these funds should be used not only to accumulate financial reserves but also to develop infrastructure and improve citizens' living standards. The first 1.5 trillion tenge ($3.3 billion) is expected to be directed toward social projects in early 2027.

Economic benchmarks

According to the projections cited by the president, in 2026 Kazakhstan's GDP will approach $400 billion, and GDP per capita will exceed $19,000. The country aims to rank 47th in the world by economy size. The country's total financial reserves, according to Tokayev, amount to $130 billion, and he stated the need to direct available resources toward modernizing infrastructure, building schools and hospitals, and developing the regions.

Minimum wage increase

From January 1, 2027, the minimum wage in Kazakhstan will rise from 85,000 tenge ($187) to 110,000 tenge ($240). The change is expected to affect about 1.8 million citizens, including more than 370,000 public-sector workers. It is noted that the increase in the minimum wage may affect certain social benefits, pension contributions, and contributions to state funds.

Context

The full text of the speech is available in a Tengrinews publication, on which the kun.uz summary is based; the original document itself is not provided in full in the materials, so the details of the president's wording are known only as relayed by the outlets. The statements are programmatic in nature: the specific mechanisms for implementing the announced measures — the timing of tax changes, the procedure for spending the fund's resources, and the list of projects — are not disclosed in the publications.