NUR-SULTAN / EX ASTANA (KazInform) — The population of Kazakhstan reached 18.5 mln as of July 1, 2019 and increased by 235,500 people in one year as reported by the Statistics Committee of the National Economy Ministry.

The number of urban population has made 10,816,600 (or 58.2%) and the number of rural population is now 7,726,300. The number of people moving to Kazakhstan decreased by 11.3%, while the number of those leaving the country rose by 16.9%. Internal migration increased by 22.7%.

Kazakhstan’s Population Trend (1950-2014)

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1,702 infant mortality cases were registered across the country in January-July, 2019, that is 4.7% more compared to the same period in 2018 (1,626). Infant mortality rate in the reporting period in 2019 was 8.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. The main reason of infant mortality is the prenatal condition which led to death of 881 children in January-July 2019 (782 in January-July 2018) or 48.1% of the total number of fatal cases among the children. The number of children who died of congenital anomalies was 337 (328) or 19.8% (20.2%). 131 (124) children or 7.7% (7.6%) died of respiratory diseases, and 60 (73) infants or 3.5% (4.5%) died as a result of accidents, poisoning and traumas.

The first census in Kazakhstan was conducted under Russian Imperial rule in 1897, which estimated population at round 4 mln people. Following censuses showed a growth until 1939, where numbers showed a decrease to 6,081 thousand relative to the previous census done 13 years earlier, due to famines of 1922 and 1933.

But since 1939 population has steadily increased to 16.5 mln in the 1989, according to corresponding year census. Official estimates indicate that the population continued to increase after 1989, peaking out at 17 mln in 1993 and then declining to 15 mln in the 1999 census. The downward trend continued through 2002, when the estimated population bottomed out at 14.9 mln, and then resumed its growth. Significant numbers of Russians returned to Russia.

Kazakhstan underwent significant urbanization during the first 50 years of the Soviet era, as the share of rural population declined from more than 90% in the 1920s to less than 50% since the 1970s.