This is a list of all cities and settlements in Kazakhstan with a population of at least fifty thousand people as of official population estimates in 2023. The three largest cities are Almaty, Astana (the national capital), and Shymkent; as cities of republican significance, they are administratively independent and belong to no region. Two of the listed settlements, Zashagan and Beyneu, are officially designated as villages rather than cities.
Rank | City or Settlement | Population (January 2023 estimate) [1] | Population (October 2021 census) [1] | Change | Region |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Almaty | 2,161,797 | 2,030,285 | +6.48% | – |
2 | Astana | 1,354,507 | 1,234,042 | +9.76% | – |
3 | Shymkent | 1,192,120 | 1,112,478 | +7.16% | – |
4 | Aktobe | 559,911 | 540,493 | +3.59% | Aktobe |
5 | Karagandy | 515,632 | 508,824 | +1.34% | Karagandy |
6 | Taraz | 427,356 | 418,368 | +2.15% | Jambyl |
7 | Oskemen | 352,894 | 349,463 | +0.98% | East Kazakhstan |
8 | Pavlodar | 334,096 | 333,190 | +0.27% | Pavlodar |
9 | Atyrau | 316,468 | 306,548 | +3.24% | Atyrau |
10 | Semey | 308,143 | 303,210 | +1.63% | Abai |
11 | Kyzylorda | 278,638 | 271,309 | +2.70% | Kyzylorda |
12 | Kostanay | 264,466 | 258,990 | +2.11% | Kostanay |
13 | Aktau | 263,893 | 251,855 | +4.78% | Mangystau |
14 | Oral | 253,773 | 247,467 | +2.55% | West Kazakhstan |
15 | Petropavl | 222,636 | 222,076 | +0.25% | North Kazakhstan |
16 | Turkistan | 220,159 | 207,605 | +6.05% | Turkistan |
17 | Kokshetau | 174,614 | 171,630 | +1.74% | Akmola |
18 | Temirtau | 171,893 | 171,019 | +0.51% | Karagandy |
19 | Taldykorgan | 168,686 | 165,325 | +2.03% | Jetisu |
20 | Ekibastuz | 129,000 | 129,748 | −0.58% | Pavlodar |
21 | Rudny | 112,078 | 112,052 | +0.02% | Kostanay |
22 | Jezkazgan | 89,092 | 88,320 | +0.87% | Ulytau |
23 | Kaskelen | 82,393 | 79,482 | +3.66% | Almaty |
24 | Kentau | 74,474 | 72,573 | +2.62% | Turkistan |
25 | Zhanaozen | 74,360 | 72,425 | +2.67% | Mangystau |
26 | Balkash | 73,730 | 73,785 | −0.07% | Karagandy |
27 | Satbayev | 68,395 | 67,456 | +1.39% | Ulytau |
28 | Kulsary | 65,963 | 64,458 | +2.33% | Atyrau |
29 | Talgar | 64,895 | 63,883 | +1.58% | Almaty |
30 | Saryagash | 61,485 | 59,606 | +3.15% | Turkistan |
31 | Zashagan | 61,224 | 58,356 | +4.91% | West Kazakhstan |
32 | Beyneu | 57,682 | 55,842 | +3.30% | Mangystau |
33 | Qonayev | 55,200 | 54,245 | +1.76% | Almaty |
34 | Jarkent | 52,819 | 52,361 | +0.87% | Jetisu |
35 | Arys | 51,996 | 50,370 | +3.23% | Turkistan |
36 | Qosshy | 51,664 | 48,630 | +6.24% | Akmola |
37. | Arys | 43,912 | 23,567 | +86.33% | Turkistan Province |
38. | Talgar | 43,190 | 43,353 | −0.38% | Almaty Province |
39. | Zharkent | 42,598 | 32,656 | +30.44% | Almaty Region |
40. | Lisakovsk | 40,440 | 35,161 | +15.01% | Kostanay Province |
41. | Baikonur | 39,323 | 28,776 | +36.65% | Kyzylorda Province |
42. | Ayagoz | 38,496 | 38,470 | +0.07% | East Kazakhstan Region |
43. | Shu | 36,496 | 34,999 | +4.28% | Jambyl Province |
44. | Zyryanovsk | 36,462 | 43,894 | −16.93% | East Kazakhstan Region |
45. | Kandyagash | 35,392 | 25,553 | +38.50% | Aktobe Province |
46. | Aksay | 35,341 | 28,953 | +22.06% | West Kazakhstan Region |
47. | Zhetikara | 34,704 | 36,359 | −4.55% | Kostanay Province |
48. | Esik | 33,731 | 31,254 | +7.93% | Almaty Province |
49. | Aral | 32,991 | 30,801 | +7.11% | Kyzylorda Province |
50. | Tekel | 31,784 | 23,982 | +32.53% | Almaty Province |
51. | Karatau | 30,207 | 28,281 | +6.81% | Jambyl Province |
52. | Saryagash | 30,146 | 25,914 | +16.33% | Turkistan Province |
53. | Atbasar | 28,735 | 32,288 | −11.00% | Akmola Province |
54. | Arkalyk | 28,384 | 45,736 | −37.94% | Kostanay Province |
55. | Abay | 28,261 | 33,066 | −14.53% | Karagandy Province |
56. | Shardara | 28,209 | 25,452 | +10.83% | Turkistan Province |
57. | Shalkar | 27,913 | 26,329 | +6.02% | Aktobe Province |
58. | Khromtau | 26,901 | 21,740 | +23.74% | Aktobe Province |
59. | Lenger | 23,756 | 22,038 | +7.80% | Turkistan Province |
60. | Ushtobe | 22,990 | 22,472 | +2.31% | Almaty Province |
61. | Zhanatas | 22,307 | 25,927 | −13.96% | Jambyl Province |
62. | Alga | 20,429 | 15,372 | +32.90% | Aktobe Province |
63. | Shemonaikha | 18,212 | 19,924 | −8.59% | East Kazakhstan Region |
64. | Makinsk | 17,761 | 18,540 | −4.20% | Akmola Province |
65. | Usharal | 17,218 | 15,379 | +11.96% | Almaty Province |
66. | Zaisan | 15,883 | 16,021 | −0.86% | East Kazakhstan Region |
67. | Akkol | 13,690 | 15,682 | −12.70% | Akmola Province |
68. | Priozersk | 13,308 | 11,033 | +20.62% | Karagandy Province |
69. | Kurchatov | 12,372 | 9,305 | +32.96% | East Kazakhstan Region |
70. | Embi | 11,768 | 12,345 | −4.67% | Aktobe Province |
71. | Sarkand | 11,563 | 15,347 | −24.66% | Almaty Province |
72. | Taiynsha | 11,422 | 13,233 | −13.69% | North Kazakhstan Region |
73. | Esil | 10,584 | 13,096 | −19.18% | Akmola Province |
74. | Ereymentau | 9,111 | 15,087 | −39.61% | Akmola Province |
75. | Serebryansk | 8,581 | 11,903 | −27.91% | East Kazakhstan Region |
76. | Karkaraly | 8,396 | 8,773 | −4.30% | Karagandy Province |
77. | Karazhal | 8,358 | 12,658 | −33.97% | Karagandy Province |
78. | Bulayevo | 7,723 | 9,638 | −19.87% | North Kazakhstan Region |
79. | Charsk | 7,430 | 9,482 | −21.64% | East Kazakhstan Region |
80. | Sergeyev | 7,344 | 9,470 | −22.45% | North Kazakhstan Region |
81. | Mamlyut | 7,024 | 9,018 | −22.11% | North Kazakhstan Region |
82. | Kazaly | 6,820 | 7,298 | −6.55% | Kyzylorda Province |
83. | Derzhavinsk | 6,323 | 7,868 | −19.64% | Akmola Province |
84. | Fort-Shevchenko | 5,559 | 3,624 | +53.39% | Mangystau Province |
85. | Stepnyak | 3,738 | 5,329 | −29.86% | Akmola Province |
86. | Temir | 2,162 | 2,310 | −6.41% | Aktobe Province |
87. | Zhem | 1,761 | 1,142 | +54.20% | Aktobe Province |
Bishkek, formerly known as Frunze, and earlier Pishpek, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the border with Kazakhstan and has a population of 1,074,075, as of 2021.
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a small portion of its territory in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbekistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southwest, with a coastline along the Caspian Sea. Its capital is Astana, while the largest city and leading cultural and commercial hub is Almaty. Kazakhstan is the world's ninth-largest country by land area and the largest landlocked country. It has a population of 20 million and one of the lowest population densities in the world, at fewer than 6 people per square kilometre. Ethnic Kazakhs constitute a majority, while ethnic Russians form a significant minority. Officially secular, Kazakhstan is a Muslim-majority country with a sizeable Christian community.
The demographics of Kazakhstan enumerate the demographic features of the population of Kazakhstan, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. Some use the word Kazakh to refer to the Kazakh ethnic group and language and Kazakhstani to refer to Kazakhstan and its citizens regardless of ethnicity, but it is common to use Kazakh in both senses. It is expected that by 2050, the population will range from 23.5 to 27.7 million people.
Astana, formerly known as Nur-Sultan, Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, and Akmola, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of over two million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936, while the country was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR, then from 1936 to 1991, a union republic of the Soviet Union and finally from 1991, an independent state. In 1997, the government relocated the capital to Akmola.
Kokshetau, formerly known as Kokchetav between 1868 and 1993, is a lakeside city in northern Kazakhstan and the capital of Akmola Region. It stretches along the southern shore of Lake Kopa, lying in the north of Kokshetau Hills, a northern subsystem of the Kokshetau Uplands (Saryarka) and the southern edge of the Ishim Steppe. It is named after Mount Kokshe.
Urban-type settlement is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the Soviet Union and later also for a short time in socialist Bulgaria and socialist Poland. It remains in use today in nine of the post-Soviet states.
Pavlodar ; Russian: Павлодар ) is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan and the capital of Pavlodar Region. It is located 450 kilometres (280 mi) northeast of the national capital Astana and 405 kilometres (252 mi) southeast of the Russian city of Omsk along the Irtysh River. In 2010, the city had a population of 331,710. The population of Pavlodar is composed predominantly of ethnic Kazakhs and Russians, with significant Ukrainian, German and Tatar minorities. The city is served by Pavlodar Airport.
Atyrau Region formerly known as Guryev Region until 1991, is one of the regions of Kazakhstan, in the western part of the country around the northeast of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Atyrau, with a population of 355,117; the region itself has a population of 681,241, of which Kazakhs make up more than 90%.
North Kazakhstan Region is a region of Kazakhstan, with a population of 539,111. Its capital is Petropavl, with a population of 193,300 people.
Ridder, formerly known as Leninogorsk is a city in the East Kazakhstan Region in north-eastern Kazakhstan. Its population is approximately 50,500. The city is situated in the south-western Altai Mountains and north-east of the region's capital, Oskemen, along the Ulba River, at an elevation higher than 700 metres. Ridder is the source of the E40 motorway.
Jeminay County or Jimunai County, is a county situated in the north of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Altay Prefecture.
Saran is a city in Karaganda Region of Kazakhstan, on the Nura River. Population: 42,058 ; 42,957. The city was founded on December 20, 1954.
Kostanay Region is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is the city of Kostanay. The population of the region is 835,686. The population living in Kostanay is 207,000 which is equivalent to 23% of the region.
Qyzylorda Region, formerly known as Kyzyl-Orda Region until 1991, is a region of Kazakhstan. Its capital is the city of Qyzylorda, with a population of 234,736. The region itself has a population of 823,251. Other notable settlements include Aral, Kazaly (Kazalinsk) and the Russian-administered Baikonur, which services the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The total area of the province is 226,000 square kilometers (87,000 sq mi).
Tekeli is a city in the Jetisu Region of Kazakhstan, located 310 km from Almaty city and 40 km from Taldykorgan city. At the beginning of 2019, the population of the city was 31,958.
Aktau ) is a city in south-west Kazakhstan, located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Its name means 'white mountain' in the Kazakh language, which may be due to its cliffs that overlook the Caspian. From 1964 to 1991, the city was known as Shevchenko, which was given due to the eponymous Ukrainian poet's period of exile in the area. It is located on the Mangyshlak Peninsula and is the capital of the Mangystau Region.
Aktobe is a city on the Ilek River in Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of the Aktobe Region. In 2023, it had a population of 560,820.
Akmola Region is a centrally located region of Kazakhstan. It was known as Tselinograd Oblast during Soviet rule. Its capital is Kökşetau. The national capital, Astana, is enclosed by the region, but is politically separate from Aqmola Region. The region's population is 715,000; Kökşetau's is 157,000.
Shymkent is a city in Kazakhstan, near the border with Uzbekistan. It is one of three cities in Kazakhstan that have the status of a city of republican significance. It is the third-most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty and Astana, with an estimated population of 1,002,291 as of 1 June 2018. It is a regional cultural centre. Shymkent is situated 690 kilometres west of Almaty and 1,483 kilometres south of Astana. It is also 120 kilometres to the north of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.