Kazakhstan concluded the first quarter of 2026 with a confident strengthening of its foreign trade positions. Against the backdrop of sustained high business activity and expanding export potential, the country's trade turnover reached USD 32.9 billion, an increase of 10.5% compared to the same period last year, when the figure was USD 29.8 billion. This dynamic confirms the resilience of the foreign economic sector and the gradual strengthening of the role of high value-added products in the structure of Kazakh exports.

The total export volume for January–March 2026 grew by 9.4%, amounting to USD 18.0 billion. Kazakhstan's imports for the reporting period amounted to USD 14.9 billion, an increase of 11.8% compared to the first quarter of 2025. The growth in imports is primarily related to increased purchases of investment and technological goods necessary for the modernization of the country's industry, energy, and transport infrastructure. The most notable growth was in electricity generator sets, whose imports increased more than fivefold, reaching USD 416.8 million. Imports of gas turbines and aircraft engines, petroleum products, railway locomotives, as well as equipment for processing and sorting raw materials also grew significantly. This import structure indicates sustained high investment demand in the economy and the active implementation of infrastructure and industrial projects.

The dynamics of the non-resource sector deserve special attention. Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover in non-resource goods for January–March 2026 reached USD 20.4 billion, which is 13.5% higher than last year's level. Non-resource exports grew immediately by 23.4%, amounting to USD 6.9 billion, becoming one of the main factors in the qualitative change in the structure of the country's foreign trade.

The main drivers of non-resource exports were copper and copper cathodes, silver, uranium, ferroalloys, animal feed products, and sunflower oil. Sunflower oil exports increased by almost 60%, reaching USD 277.8 million, reflecting the growing competitiveness of Kazakh processed agricultural products. A 20.1% increase in ferroalloy supplies further confirms the strengthening of the metallurgical complex and the expansion of the export geography of domestic industrial products.

The geography of Kazakhstan's foreign trade remains stably diversified. The country's largest trading partner at the end of the first quarter was China, with a trade turnover of USD 7.8 billion and a share of 23.8% of the total foreign trade volume. Russia retained second place with a trade volume of USD 6.5 billion, remaining a key market for imports and industrial cooperation. Italy, Turkey, and Uzbekistan also entered the list of largest partners. The strengthening of Kazakhstan's export positions in the European direction is particularly noteworthy: trade turnover with Italy exceeded USD 3.4 billion, with the volume of Kazakh exports amounting to over USD 3 billion.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mti/press/news/details/1222494?lang=kk