Trade Overview of Kazakhstan for the First 8 Months of 2025: Strong Energy Exports, Focused Imports on Finished Goods
Kazakhstan International News Agency report: From January to August 2025, Kazakhstan's foreign trade remained active.
Fluctuations in global market prices, sanctions, and emerging logistics channels have significantly affected the country's import and export structure.
According to data from the Kazakhstan National Statistics Committee, Kazakhstan's foreign trade shows a clear divergence: exports are dominated by raw materials and metals, while imports focus on industrial finished goods and consumer products.
Export Geography: Main Markets Oriented Toward Raw Materials
From January to August 2025, the main export destinations of Kazakhstan included:
- Italy: $21 billion (Italy is a transit country for Austria, etc., and there are suspicions of duplicate calculations in the media - editor's note)
- China: $18.7 billion
- Russia: $10.5 billion
- Netherlands: $7.5 billion
- Turkey: $4.8 billion
- Uzbekistan: $4.4 billion
Italy ranks first, being the main importer of crude oil from Kazakhstan. Under the national energy independence policy and the OPEC+ agreement framework, Kazakhstan's crude oil exports to Italy have become an important part of the European energy balance. In 2025, the revenue from the export of petroleum and natural gas condensate reached $25.8 billion, accounting for nearly half of the total exports.
Exports to China amounted to $18.7 billion, covering oil, copper, ferroalloys, and chemical products. China is the largest trading partner and strategic ally of Kazakhstan, and under the "Belt and Road" initiative, transportation and logistics links between the two countries have become increasingly close.
Exports to Russia amounted to $10.5 billion, mainly including agricultural products, food ingredients, and petroleum products. However, geopolitical factors have complicated bilateral economic relations in recent years, and changes in logistics and payment systems have affected the direction of exports.
Export Structure: Dominance of Energy and Metals
About 70% of Kazakhstan's exports are raw materials. Among the top 20 exported commodities, crude oil and natural gas condensate ranked first, amounting to $25.8 billion, followed by:
- Copper and unprocessed copper: $2.46 billion
- Inorganic chemicals: $2.08 billion
- Ferroalloys: $1.39 billion
- Wheat and wheat mixtures: $951.9 million
- Natural gas: $608.2 million
This structure reflects Kazakhstan's industrialization characteristics: exports are mainly primary products with low added value. For example, copper and aluminum are mostly exported in their unprocessed form, while finished goods such as cables, electronic products, and automotive parts need to be imported.
Although Kazakhstan has been supporting processing industries in recent years, it has not completely moved away from its reliance on raw materials. Export revenues fluctuate greatly with global oil prices. In 2025, the price of Brent crude oil remained stable at $80-85 per barrel, which helped maintain export earnings.
Import Structure: Consumer Demand Dominated by Finished Goods
Kazakhstan's imports are mainly finished goods, revealing weaknesses in the economy. The main imported commodities include:
- Light passenger vehicles: $1.68 billion
- Medicines: $1.19 billion
- Communication equipment: $866 million
- Clothing and knitted goods: $828.7 million
- Automotive parts: $715.2 million
- Computers and information technology equipment: $642 million
The imports are mainly consumer goods, with increased living standards and insufficient domestic production leading to greater dependence on external sources. For example, despite having a pharmaceutical industry, more than 70% of medicines are imported; household appliances and smartphones are almost entirely purchased from abroad.
In addition, the import of heavy machinery, excavators, and industrial equipment involves large expenditures, indicating a high level of technological dependence in manufacturing.
Import Partners: Russia and China Predominate
The countries with the highest import volumes are Russia ($29.4 billion) and China ($29.1 billion), together accounting for more than 50% of Kazakhstan's total imports.
Russia mainly supplies fuel products, building materials, food, and industrial equipment. China, on the other hand, provides household appliances, electronic products, light industrial goods, and automobiles.
Other major import sources include Germany ($4.6 billion), South Korea ($3.7 billion), and the United States ($3.5 billion), mainly providing high-tech equipment and vehicles.
Turkey and Uzbekistan also hold a place in the import market, supplying clothing, daily necessities, and food, building materials respectively.
Trade Balance: Export Advantage but Structural Risks Exist
Kazakhstan's export volume exceeds its imports, maintaining a trade surplus. However, the structure showing that exports are primarily raw materials and imports are heavily dependent on finished goods reveals imbalance.
Data from the National Statistics Committee show that exports declined in the first 8 months of 2025, while imports increased slightly.
Economists point out that low-value exports will long-term constrain economic growth: unstable income from raw materials and increasing dependence on finished goods will increase pressure from exchange rate fluctuations.
Future Directions: Industrial Diversification and Regional Integration
Kazakhstan's foreign trade policy should focus on diversifying the export structure, including specific measures such as:
- Deepening processing industries such as metallurgy, petrochemicals, and machinery manufacturing;
- Promoting the deep processing and export of agricultural products, such as meat, dairy products, and flour;
- Upgrading digital and logistics infrastructure.
Looking ahead, Kazakhstan is expected to play a key role in the Asia-Europe transport through the "Middle Corridor" (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route), expanding export channels to Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East, promoting the export of finished goods and reducing dependence on raw materials.
Notably, on the 21st, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan held talks with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, during which they listened to systematic reports from experts of both countries on the development projects of the "Middle Corridor."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7563992984924996134/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion below using the [Like/Dislike] buttons.