Kazakhstan Attracts $162.1 Billion in 7 Years as Tokayev Broadens Investor Base
Updated
Updated · el.kz · Aug 18
Kazakhstan Attracts $162.1 Billion in 7 Years as Tokayev Broadens Investor Base
1 articles · Updated · el.kz · Aug 18
Summary
$162.1 billion in foreign direct investment flowed into Kazakhstan over the first seven years of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s tenure, based on National Bank data through June 30 and first-quarter 2026 figures.
Analyst Aibar Olzhayev linked the inflows to Tokayev’s “investment diplomacy” — foreign trips that paired political meetings with business talks, investment roundtables and project negotiations.
Annual inflows averaged about $23 billion, peaking at $28.2 billion in 2022; Kazakhstan still drew sizable capital through the pandemic, supply-chain disruptions and tougher global competition for investment.
Investment sources also shifted, with inflows from South Korea, Germany, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the UAE doubling after presidential visits, while Qatari investment jumped from $9 million before 2023 to $1.26 billion in 2025.
That expansion has widened Kazakhstan’s investor map beyond traditional partners such as the United States and the Netherlands, with China also rising from $1.69 billion in 2019 to $2.83 billion in 2025.