Overview of best prospect sectors, major infrastructure projects, significant government procurements and business opportunities.
Last Published: 10/5/2020
Kazakhstan ranks 25th on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report updated in 2020.  Of the various indicators used, Kazakhstan ranks higher than its overall score in Protecting Investors, Registering Property and Enforcing Contracts.  This report, however, does not take into consideration vital business criteria such as corruption, labor skills or investment regulations.  Potential investors should consult this report’s Investment Climate Statement before pursuing investment in the Kazakhstani market.
Demand in this upper middle-income market goes beyond the few best prospect sectors detailed in this report (see Leading Sectors for U.S. Exports and Investment).  Kazakhstan's strategic aspiration is to become a modern, diversified economy with a high value-added and high-tech component, and the government is cognizant of the need for foreign expertise to accomplish this goal. To this end, the government continues to develop international partnerships and has agreed to projects with U.S., China and EU countries worth billions of dollars.
Like other former Soviet republics, much of Kazakhstan’s infrastructure is outdated and needs modernization. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Kazakhstan and Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Kazakhstan both finance major infrastructure, financial, corporate and agricultural projects in the country.  Priority sectors under EBRD’s portfolio in Kazakhstan include agribusiness, power and energy, financial services, information & communication technologies, municipal & environmental infrastructure, mining and transportation.  Likewise, areas such as health and environment need an infusion of investment to reach global best practices.
The short-term situation in Kazakhstan is dominated by COVID-19 pandemic economic recovery measures and the recently introduced Comprehensive Recovery Plan 2020. Along with a continuing focus on further improvements in the investment climate, the top prospective economic sectors remain agriculture, education, extractive industries, franchising, healthcare, ICT, infrastructure (hard and soft), power generation, transport & logistics, safety & security and tourism.  U.S. companies that seize this moment to explore the country’s business and investment opportunities have the potential to capture significant market share in this growing middle-income market.  
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.


More Information

Kazakhstan Trade Development and Promotion