Which ethnic groups make up the population of Kazakhstan?

The population of Kazakhstan is ethnically diverse, with significant demographic shifts occurring since the country gained independence in 1991. By the 2020s, ethnic Kazakhs comprised more than two-thirds of the total population, while the Russian community represented less than one-sixth.1

Other ethnic groups residing in Kazakhstan include:

• Uzbeks1
• Uyghurs1
• Tajiks1
• Ukrainians1
• Germans1
• Tatars1
• Koreans1

Historically, the demographic landscape was heavily influenced by large-scale Slavic migration during the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly during the Soviet-era Virgin and Idle Lands project. Following independence, the emigration of many ethnic Russians and the return of ethnic Kazakhs to the country significantly altered the population's ethnic composition.1