Why Thousands of Entrepreneurs Stopped Working in Kazakhstan: Minister Explains the Exact Reasons

In the first quarter of 2026, more than 207,000 individual entrepreneurs ceased their activities in Kazakhstan. This was announced by Serik Zhumangarin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy.

According to him, the baseline level must be considered when evaluating this figure. In the first quarters of 2024–2025, an average of 104,000 entrepreneurs closed down. The current increase is associated with approximately 100,000 additional closures. The Minister noted that initially, this figure was expected to reach as high as 300,000.

A portion of the closed businesses changed their type of activity. Specifically, 39.2 thousand entrepreneurs moved to the category of self-employed, 11.8 thousand took on managerial positions in other companies, and 94.2 thousand had no income in 2025.

At the same time, the registration of new business entities continues in the country. Over 99,000 taxpayers were registered in the first quarter, the majority of whom are individual entrepreneurs. The total number of legal entities has exceeded 584,000, while the number of self-employed individuals is over 410,000.

The Minister linked this trend to structural changes in business. According to him, less active entrepreneurs are leaving the market, some are expanding and becoming legal entities, while others are continuing their activities under the self-employment regime.

Additionally, over 62.5 thousand enterprises temporarily suspended their activities in the first quarter. Although this figure has increased compared to previous years, the Minister assessed it as part of the economic adaptation process.