Today, we are pleased to present to you the latest report on the results of our proprietary research conducted at the end of 2025. The primary objective of this study was to understand how the key characteristics and factors of Kazakhstani consumer behaviour have changed over the past three years and what they look like at the start of the country's new phase of economic development, which began on 1 January 2026.
Further detailed study and analysis of the reforms and their impact on the emotional climate, social moods, financial well-being and consumer behaviour of the population is undoubtedly required. All of the above will provide a solid foundation for ongoing research on this topic and the publication of the results of these studies.
In this report, we invite you to review data from the end of 2025 characterising: 1.Household income parameters; 2.Trends in financial well-being and consumer behaviour. 3.The structure of current expenditures and the financial expectations of city residents for the coming year. 4.The social well-being of residents in Kazakhstan's major cities is of particular concern. 5.Key social irritants.
The survey results are presented in aggregate for the entire sample, but include fairly detailed breakdowns by key geographic and sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents. Should you be interested, we can provide you with these additional details.
Methodology
Data collection method: CAWI (online panel (OnIn)) Target audience: urban residents of Kazakhstan, men and women aged 18–25 Geography of the study: Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, and 17 regional centers Study sample: 1,043 respondents Margin of error: ±3.1% (at a 95% confidence interval and a 50% response rate) Study period: november 2025
Brief Summary of the Main Findings of the Study
In terms of income, modern consumers living in Kazakhstan’s major cities belong to the lower-middle-income group — people who have access to basic necessities but are limited in their ability to improve their housing conditions without taking out additional loans.
Over the past few years, there have been no significant shocks affecting the material well-being of the majority of respondents. However, within the overall sample, more than one in four reported a decline in their financial well-being over the past year.
Urban consumers’ spending strategies have shifted toward selective saving (cutting back on certain goods and services), which has a positive effect on their financial expectations for the coming year. Those who are forced to cut back on all expenses (one in three respondents) expect their financial situation to worsen this year.
The main household expenses for Kazakhstanis are utility bills, food, mobile communication services, and Internet access.
In the emotional spectrum of social sentiment, there is a growing trend of negative emotions, primarily expressed through feelings of indifference and apathy. This negative emotional state is driven by a perceived deterioration in families’ financial conditions and may also be influenced by social stressors, the main ones being rising prices, higher tariffs, and increasing utility costs.
I. Stratification of the consumer environment based on self-assessment of financial status and purchasing power
According to the self-assessments received, a significantly larger proportion of the city residents surveyed consider themselves to belong to a category of consumers often described in developed countries as the “working poor.” These are people whosebasic consumption needs are stable, but for whom purchasing household appliances represents a serious financial challenge.
The second category of city residents consists of members of the mass middle class who have access to high-quality products and can afford to upgrade their home infrastructure, but for whom major capital investments (e.g., purchasing a car) are out of reach without taking out loans.
The ratio of these categories within the overall structure of respondents remains consistent from survey to survey, and their shares do not fluctuate significantly over time.
According to the data, the eventful past three years have not had a significant impact on the financial well-being of residents in major cities—the majority of respondents still report that their financial situation has improved slightly or significantly compared to a year ago (44.6%, compared to 40.1% in 2022), while one in four respondents notes that their financial situation has remained stable (25.4%, compared to 27.6% in 2022). At the same time, the share of those who have experienced a slight or noticeable deterioration in their financial situation remains quite significant (27.5%, compared to 30.7% in 2022).
The figure has decreased within the margin of statistical error, indicating no change.
Financial well-being is a key factor determining respondents’ psychological well-being. This hypothesis is empirically supported: an increase in financial well-being, as assessed by the respondents, is accompanied by greater life satisfaction and reduced financial anxiety, as evidenced by a rise in the positive assessment of living standards over a one-year period.
The Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.342
II. By the end of 2025, urban residents’ spending strategies had shifted toward selective cost-cutting—priority was given to saving money on specific goods and services. However, as before, consumer behavior strategies (as well as income levels) determine financial outlooks for the coming year—most often, those who currently remain in a mode of total frugality expect their financial situation to worsen in the current year.
In one of our previous reports, we noted that as signs of economic crisis emerged in the country by the end of 2022, surveyed consumers living in major cities began to manage their household budgets more frugally. At that time, no clear distinction was observed between full and partial cost-cutting: equal shares of respondents (39% on average) began to cut back on everything or started saving only on specific types of goods and services.
Three years later, this prioritization has become clear—nearly half of our respondents reported that they have started saving selectively, giving preference only to certain goods and services (the figure has risen by nearly 10 percentage points).
It is telling that the strategy of selectively saving money is characteristic not only of the middle class, but of virtually all income groups, with the possible exception of the most vulnerable—those who cannot afford clothes or food.
At the same time, expectations regarding changes in financial circumstances depend heavily on consumers’ current financial situation—the higher the income, the more optimistic respondents are about the future. As of the end of 2025, a total of more than half of the urban residents surveyed (58.4%) expected their financial situation to improve during the current year (in 2022, this figure was just over a third—35.8%). It is also worth noting that, compared to 2022, the share of those expecting a decline in their financial well-being by the end of 2025 has halved.
III. By the end of 2025, expenses for utilities, food, mobile phone service, and the Internet had become the main components of the spending patterns of residents in major cities surveyed. It is in these categories that respondents report a partial or significant increase in their spending.
At the same time, whereas food expenses previously topped the list of major household expenditures, they have now been overtaken by utility payments. Expenses on mobile communication and Internet services have also replaced household goods expenses in the spending structure. In addition, more than half of the study participants reported, to varying degrees, increased spending on medical treatment and medications, clothing and footwear, as well as public and private transportation.
iv. Against the backdrop of a moderately positive assessment of material well-being and optimistic expectations regarding its change over the coming year, on the one hand, and the recognition of the need to increase spending on essential items, on the other, respondents living in major cities report a deterioration in their emotional state despite the persistence of the same social stressors.
The current survey recorded an increase in the negative component of social sentiment among residents of Kazakhstan’s major cities (from 19.6% in 2022 to 23% in 2025). Ascan be seen from the chart, the negative emotional mood of respondents is most strongly represented by feelings of indifference and apathy, which also stand out from other negative manifestations due to their most noticeable increase.
However, overall, the emotional mood of the majority remains at a positively high level and is expressed primarily by feelings of satisfaction and calm, as well as hope and faith in a bright future.
A negative emotional state is typically characteristic of those who, over the past year, have experienced a decline in their family’s financial well-being to some degree.
The intensification of negative emotions can also be triggered by various social stressors—that is, problems that constantly concern the urban residents surveyed (in their daily lives). These include, in particular, issues such as rising prices and utility rates, and the increasing cost of public utilities (62.0%), Health status and the quality of medical services (41.8%), unstable family financial situation (30.7%), theproblem of corruption (29.1%), highlevels of indebtedness and credit dependency (29.0%).