Kazakhstan City Population 2026: Almaty, Astana & Shymkent

Almaty had 2,379,793 residents, Astana 1,690,605 and Shymkent 1,313,348 on 1 August 2026. Together, these three city administrations accounted for 26.1% of Kazakhstan’s population. The figures come from the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS) population release published on 1 September 2026, Table 1, “Все население” (all population).

This comparison covers Almaty, Astana and Shymkent, with the beginning-of-2026 baseline and January–July change from the same official table. It measures administrative-city populations, not metropolitan areas. For broader context, see our Kazakhstan population guide; for travel planning, use cities in Kazakhstan.

Quick Facts

• Almaty: 2,379,793 residents on 1 August 2026.
• Astana: 1,690,605 residents on the same date.
• Shymkent: 1,313,348 residents on the same date.
• Combined: 5,383,746 residents, or 26.1% of the national total.
• Kazakhstan total: 20,604,819 residents in the same BNS release.
• Highest growth in this three-city comparison: Astana, +3.14% from 1 January to 1 August 2026. This is not a year-on-year rate or a ranking of every city in Kazakhstan.

City Population Comparison: 1 August 2026

Almaty has the largest population of the three city administrations compared here. Each row uses the same date, unit and source. The national shares below are our calculations using the BNS country total of 20,604,819 residents, rounded to one decimal place.

A figure to cite: “Almaty, Astana and Shymkent together account for 26.1% of Kazakhstan’s population as of 1 August 2026.” This is an About Kazakhstan calculation from the BNS table: (2,379,793 + 1,690,605 + 1,313,348) ÷ 20,604,819 × 100. Use the date and the administrative-city definition when reproducing it. The combined figure does not include every resident of the cities’ surrounding commuter areas.

Which of These Cities Grew Fastest in 2026?

Astana grew fastest among these three cities between 1 January and 1 August 2026: +51,429 residents, or +3.14%. Shymkent followed at +1.49%, while Almaty grew +1.35%. These are changes over the first seven months of 2026, not annual forecasts or comparisons with August 2025.

Both endpoints come from the same September BNS release, rather than combining an old article’s January estimate with a new dashboard value. Calculate growth as (August population ÷ January population − 1) × 100; the results rounded to two decimals match the published BNS period-growth rates.

Natural Increase and Net Migration

The source also separates births minus deaths from the balance of registered arrivals and departures. These accounting components explain the arithmetic of the population change; they do not establish why a person moved or identify a particular industry as the cause.

City	Natural increase	Net migration	Total population change
Almaty	+10,286	+21,404	+31,690
Astana	+11,879	+39,550	+51,429
Shymkent	+11,739	+7,559	+19,298

Astana’s +39,550 is net migration, not the total number of newcomers. Arrivals can be higher because departures are subtracted. The three cities’ migration balances should not be added to Kazakhstan’s national migration balance: an internal move can increase a city’s population without increasing the country’s population.

Download and Cite the Data

The CSV contains three city rows with both reference dates, population counts, growth, accounting components and the exact BNS file URL. The JSON adds the national denominator, formulas, field definitions and revision notes. The chart shows the August populations; its bars start from zero and use the same scale.

Use and cite this data

Download CSVDownload JSONDownload SVG chart

Plain-text citation

Kazakhstan city population: Almaty, Astana and Shymkent, 1 August 2026. About Kazakhstan. Updated September 5, 2026. https://about-kazakhstan.com/kazakhstan-cities-population-2026-data/

Source claims

• Three cities: 26.1% of population
• Astana: January–July growth

Reuse our compilation and chart under CC BY 4.0. Credit About Kazakhstan and retain the original BNS source, reference dates and geographic definitions. Our compilation is not the original BNS publication.

Dataset Fields and Version

Schema version 2 replaces the previous unverified compilation. The CSV address remains the same, but its columns and coverage have changed. Importers should read schema_version and the header before combining this file with an older download.

Field	Meaning
city, city_ru, geography_type	English name, original BNS row label and administrative-city scope
reference_date, population	Population on 1 August 2026
baseline_date, baseline_population	Beginning-of-2026 count from the same release
growth_people, growth_pct	January–July change; percentage rounded to two decimals
natural_increase, net_migration	BNS accounting components over the same period
national_population, national_share_pct	Same-date country denominator and calculated city share
source_url, source_published_on, verified_on	Exact source, publication date and our check date

What Happened to the Earlier City Ranking?

On 5 September 2026 we replaced the previous 30-city compilation because its city counts, ranking and growth claims could not be traced consistently to a dated city-level source. We removed unsupported founding dates, coordinates, projections and explanations of migration. Earlier figures should not be treated as a verified historical series.

The official release used for this update lists Kazakhstan’s regions and these three city administrations separately. It does not provide a comparable individual-city count for every city inside those regions. For example, the population of Aktobe Region cannot stand in for the population of Aktobe city. We will expand the comparison only with an appropriate dated city-level source.

Methodology and Verification

The primary source is the Russian-language BNS population workbook for 1 August 2026, published on 1 September. We used Table 1, the “Все население” block, and the rows “г. Алматы”, “г. Астана”, “г. Шымкент” and “Республика Казахстан”. The August counts were cross-checked against the BNS regional dashboard.

BNS describes these as current population estimates based on census results, adjusted between censuses for natural increase and registered permanent migration. This is not a new 2026 census. Administrative cities, continuously built-up urban areas and metropolitan regions are different geographic units. Do not relabel these administrative counts as metro populations.

Reference date, publication date and verification date serve different purposes. The residents are counted as of 1 August; BNS published the table on 1 September; we checked it on 5 September. Search snippets may still display an earlier month’s dashboard, so the dated workbook is the reference for this compilation. Later revisions can change an estimate; a preserved publication date helps readers identify the version they used.

Sources

1. BNS: Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 1 August 2026, XLSX - source counts, beginning-of-year baseline, growth and accounting components; published 1 September 2026.
2. BNS demographic spreadsheets index - publication listing and dates.
3. BNS regional statistics dashboard - cross-check of August national and administrative-city populations.

Related Guides

Use the population comparison for demographic context, then choose a practical city guide for a trip. A larger population does not automatically mean a longer visit, cheaper hotels or more convenient transport. Those questions need different evidence, such as the location of sights, accommodation prices and travel times. The population table can explain the scale of a city, but it cannot select an itinerary by itself.

For a report or classroom comparison, download the CSV and keep its date columns beside the values. If you create a chart, label the three places as city administrations and include the national denominator when showing percentages. Avoid combining this table with an undated city list from another website: even matching place names can hide different boundaries or observation dates. A later download may also contain revised estimates, so retain the source publication date with your working copy.

Explore Kazakhstan population, cities in Kazakhstan, Almaty, Astana and Shymkent. For a different comparison, use the official price observations for 20 cities; those prices are a separate July dataset.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Almaty's population in 2026?

Almaty's city administration had 2,379,793 residents on 1 August 2026, according to the BNS population release published on 1 September. This is an administrative-city count, not a metropolitan population.

What is Astana's population in 2026?

Astana had 1,690,605 residents on 1 August 2026. The same BNS release reports 1,639,176 at the beginning of 2026, a gain of 51,429 or 3.14% over January–July. That is not a year-on-year growth rate.

What is Shymkent's population in 2026?

Shymkent had 1,313,348 residents on 1 August 2026, up from 1,294,050 at the beginning of the year. The increase was 19,298 residents or 1.49% over the first seven months of 2026.

What share of Kazakhstan's population lives in these three cities?

Almaty, Astana and Shymkent together had 5,383,746 residents on 1 August 2026. Dividing that by the same-date national total of 20,604,819 gives 26.1%, rounded to one decimal place. This is our calculation from BNS counts.

Which of the three cities grew fastest?

Astana had the highest January–July 2026 growth rate in this three-city comparison, at 3.14%, followed by Shymkent at 1.49% and Almaty at 1.35%. The comparison does not rank every Kazakhstan city.

Where can I download the city population dataset?

The CSV, JSON and SVG chart are linked in Download and Cite the Data. Schema version 2 covers Almaty, Astana and Shymkent, with January and August 2026 counts, source URLs and definitions. It replaces the previous unverified 30-city compilation.

Last verified: September 5, 2026. Population reference date: 1 August 2026; growth period: 1 January–1 August 2026.