Kazakhstan Leads the CIS in Higher Education Levels

Kazakhstan has emerged as the leader among CIS countries in the share of citizens with higher education, Qrnews.kz reports, citing Finprom.

These data were presented by the CIS Statistical Committee, which compared the results of population censuses conducted in member states between 2019 and 2024. According to the source, 276 out of every 1,000 Kazakh citizens aged 15 and older hold a university degree, making the country the absolute leader in this category.

Russia ranks second with 267 graduates per 1,000 people, followed by Belarus with 266. The lowest levels are recorded in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — only 72 and 81 people per 1,000, respectively. Kazakhstan shows the best results in the 40–49 age group, where 356 out of 1,000 citizens have a higher education diploma. In other age groups, Russia and Belarus lead.

The study also evaluated the prevalence of secondary specialized education. Belarus leads in this category, with 306 out of 1,000 citizens holding a college or technical school diploma. Kazakhstan scores 280, while Tajikistan and Armenia lag behind, with much lower shares of vocational education.

In some countries, only general secondary education predominates. In Turkmenistan, 737 out of 1,000 people have only general secondary education, while in Tajikistan, the figure is 601, indicating limited coverage of vocational and technical training.

Data on university graduates also show significant differences among countries. Last year, in Tajikistan, with a population of almost 11 million, only 45.7 thousand people graduated from universities. In Belarus, despite a smaller population, there were 53.7 thousand graduates. Overall, CIS universities produced 1.4 million specialists in 2024, which is 10% fewer than in 2021. Russia remains the leader with 827.6 thousand graduates. Kazakhstan ranked third with 147.4 thousand young specialists.

Colleges and vocational schools in CIS countries have seen growing graduation numbers in recent years. In 2024, about 1.1 million students completed secondary vocational education, nearly 70% of them in Russia. Kazakhstan took second place, graduating 158.7 thousand students.

Regarding education quality, Russia leads, ranking 36th globally in 2025 according to Worldostats, with an index of 0.85. Kazakhstan is 49th with a score of 0.82. The lowest positions among CIS countries are held by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, which closes the ranking with an index of 0.68.

These data confirm that Kazakhstan is strengthening its position in higher education and continues to increase the share of qualified specialists, despite differences in the structure and quality of education across the CIS.