Over 1.1 million ethnic Kazakhs returned to homeland since 1991

Tengrinews.kz - Since Kazakhstan's independence in 1991, 1,146,400 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to their historical homeland, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

In 2024 alone, 18,035 ethnic Kazakhs, known as kandas, relocated to Kazakhstan and received official status. Of these, 45.4 percent came from China, 38.9 percent from Uzbekistan, 6 percent from Mongolia, 5.8 percent from Turkmenistan, 2.7 percent from Russia, and 1.3 percent from other countries.

As of December 1, 2024, 57.1 percent of the returning kandas are of working age, 33.4 percent are minors, and 9.5 percent are retirees.

Among working-age kandas, 17.5 percent have higher education, 25 percent hold secondary specialized education, 54.7 percent completed general secondary education, and 2.8 percent lack formal education.

The ministry noted that kandas have settled across various regions of Kazakhstan, with priority given to labor-deficient regions, including Akmola, Abai, Kostanay, Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan, and North Kazakhstan regions. In 2024, the resettlement quota for these regions was set at 3,033 people, with 2,961 kandas resettled by December 1.

Previously, according to data from the Bureau of National Statistics, over 10,000 people left Kazakhstan in the past nine months.

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