The well-being of Kazakhstan citizens is declining. This is confirmed not only by the 2% decline in real incomes of working citizens in the fourth quarter of 2025, but also by the growing share of money spent on food, Finprom.kz reported.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, in the third quarter of 2025, Kazakhstan’s households spent on food 57.2% of all consumer expenditures—the highest level since 2021.
For comparison, in developed countries, spending on food fluctuates between 10% and 15%.
In some regions of Kazakhstan, from June to September last year, spending on food reached 65.8%, particularly in the Zhetysu region. The situation was only slightly better in the Turkestan (65.3%) and Almaty (62.2%) regions. The lowest shares of food expenditures were observed in the Karaganda (50.6%), North Kazakhstan (51.4%), and Akmola (51.8%) regions.
In rural areas, the share of food expenditures in total consumer spending was 58.7%, while in urban areas it was 56.5%.
In the third quarter of last year, food spending increased by 15.5% for urban residents, while for rural residents it increased by only 11%. The most significant increases in urban areas were for meat and meat products (by 22.3%), fruit (by 18.6%), vegetables (by 16.8%), and oils and fats (by 16.4%).
What items have Kazakhstani families been forced to economize on due to rising food prices? City residents began saving on automotive parts and fuel (by 30.2%), cutting back on phone purchases—spending on these items decreased by 19.1%—and on various electronics—by 7.2%. Judging by spending analysis, Kazakhstani families postponed their plans for home renovations and furniture upgrades: spending on these items decreased by 19.3% and 2%, respectively.
