Kazakhstan: cities by population
Kazakhstan has a population of 21,083,626 (UN estimate, 2026), with Nur-Sultan as its capital. The 50 largest of its 298 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+36%
since 2000 (15,501,103)
+26%
projected by 2050 (26,544,265)
8
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Kazakhstan
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Almaty | Almaty | 1,977,011 |
| 2 | Astana | Astana | 1,544,142 |
| 3 | Shymkent | Shymkent | 1,200,000 |
| 4 | Aktobe | Aktobe | 500,757 |
| 5 | Karagandy | Karaganda | 497,777 |
| 6 | Taraz | Zhambyl | 358,153 |
| 7 | Kyzylorda | Kyzylorda | 354,800 |
| 8 | Oral | West Kazakhstan | 330,000 |
| 9 | Pavlodar | Pavlodar Region | 329,002 |
| 10 | Ust-Kamenogorsk | East Kazakhstan | 319,067 |
| 11 | Semey | Abai Region | 292,780 |
| 12 | Atyrau | Atyrau Oblisi | 290,700 |
| 13 | Turkistan | Turkistan | 227,098 |
| 14 | Kostanay | Kostanay | 210,000 |
| 15 | Petropavl | North Kazakhstan | 200,920 |
| 16 | Temirtau | Karaganda | 170,600 |
| 17 | Kokshetau | Aqmola | 150,649 |
| 18 | Aktau | Mangystau | 147,443 |
| 19 | Rudnyy | Kostanay | 124,000 |
| 20 | Ekibastuz | Pavlodar Region | 121,470 |
| 21 | Taldykorgan | Zhetysu Region | 116,558 |
| 22 | Zhezqazghan | Ulytau Region | 104,357 |
| 23 | Zhanaozen | Mangystau | 103,598 |
| 24 | Balqash | Karaganda | 81,364 |
| 25 | Sarqant | Zhetysu Region | 76,919 |
| 26 | Baikonur | Baikonur | 70,000 |
| 27 | Satpayev | Ulytau Region | 69,782 |
| 28 | Kentau | Turkistan | 57,408 |
| 29 | Ridder | East Kazakhstan | 52,664 |
| 30 | Qulsary | Atyrau Oblisi | 51,216 |
| 31 | Shchuchinsk | Aqmola | 47,290 |
| 32 | Stepnogorsk | Aqmola | 46,736 |
| 33 | Altay | East Kazakhstan | 44,929 |
| 34 | Aksu | Pavlodar Region | 44,808 |
| 35 | Zhitikara | Kostanay | 43,104 |
| 36 | Saran | Karaganda | 42,552 |
| 37 | Talghar | Almaty Region | 42,194 |
| 38 | Konayev | Almaty Region | 42,167 |
| 39 | Arkalyk | Kostanay | 42,000 |
| 40 | Shakhtinsk | Karaganda | 41,602 |
| 41 | Lisakovsk | Kostanay | 40,000 |
| 42 | Shu | Zhambyl | 39,785 |
| 43 | Karatau | Zhambyl | 37,881 |
| 44 | Zhetysay | Turkistan | 36,494 |
| 45 | Arys | Turkistan | 36,285 |
| 46 | Novokazalinsk | Kyzylorda | 35,883 |
| 47 | Abay | Karaganda | 35,454 |
| 48 | Aqsay | West Kazakhstan | 34,799 |
| 49 | Atbasar | Aqmola | 34,797 |
| 50 | Zharkent | Zhetysu Region | 34,422 |
Twenty years earlier: Kazakhstan in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 14,757,767.
Common questions
What is the population of Kazakhstan?
Kazakhstan has a population of 21,083,626, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 26,544,265 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Kazakhstan?
Nur-Sultan. The largest place we record there is Almaty, with 1,977,011 people.