Internet usage in Kazakhstan - statistics & facts
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The internet has become an important part of Kazakhstani society. With an increasing penetration rate over the past decade, it has revolutionized the daily lives of millions of people living in the country, changing the way they communicate with one another, conduct business, access information, and pay bills. The number of internet users in Kazakhstan has been growing year-on-year, with an estimated 20.5 million people predicted to be using the web by 2029. The young generation is particularly tech-savvy, as the majority of internet users in Kazakhstan are aged 35 years or less.
The outlook for the Kazakhstani internet market remains positive, with the user numbers increasing in both mobile and fixed-line segments. Even though the country scores low on internet freedom, the internet usage is expected to grow, heavily influenced by an increasing penetration of e-commerce and other digital services.
Online behavior in Kazakhstan
Some of the most popular internet activities in Kazakhstan include the use of social media, entertainment content, and search engines. Reinforced by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdown restrictions, the country has seen a particularly high demand for e-commerce, with over 22 percent of internet users reporting to have bought goods and services online. The e-commerce penetration rate was estimated to exceed 28 percent in 2024. It is accompanied by an increasing use of internet banking, with over 35 percent of residents predicted to become online bank users by 2029.The rise of mobile internet in Kazakhstan
As social media and instant messaging platforms become increasingly available via apps, it comes as no surprise that a growing number of Kazakhstanis are switching to mobile internet. A nationwide survey from 2023 revealed that every eight in ten households use a mobile connection to go online. In 2024, the country had an estimated 18 million mobile internet users, a figure that was forecast to grow by another 1.7 million by 2029. Consequently, the revenue of Kazakh companies from providing mobile communications has been steadily increasing, having peaked at 616.1 billion Kazakhstani tenge in 2022.From internet censorship to shutdowns
Obstacles to access, limits on content type, and violations of user rights have made Kazakhstan score low on the annual Freedom on the Internet (FOTN) ranking in 2024. As the traffic goes through Kazakhtelecom, a majority state-owned telecommunications provider, surveillance is also centralized. In line with the National Security Law from 2017, authorities have the right to shut down internet access during national unrest. In early January 2022, the internet had been taken down for six days nationwide following mass protests against a surge in gas prices.The outlook for the Kazakhstani internet market remains positive, with the user numbers increasing in both mobile and fixed-line segments. Even though the country scores low on internet freedom, the internet usage is expected to grow, heavily influenced by an increasing penetration of e-commerce and other digital services.
