Cand. Sc. History. G. Niyazkhankyzy

D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan State Technical University

Migration processes on the territory of Kazakhstan

For centuries, independence had been the dream of the Kazakh people. In 1991, Soviet Union, one of the largest empire fell apart and as a result, the Kazakh dream has come true, independent Republic of Kazakhstan was formed. Twenty years later the Kazakh economical, political, social, demographical and migration policies played a major role in shaping the current demographic situation and the migration process that has started long before the sovereignty of Republic of Kazakhstan.

The political and economical history of Kazakhstan is unique in the sense that prior to 1991 the country was once ruled under the tsarist empire then followed by the Soviet's totalitarian system. Such experiences have great influences on the transition of Kazakhstan, a nation that was once dependent on other nations, to a nation that has its own independence.

During the Soviet Union era, the soviet implemented immigration policy that engender multinationality on the territory of Kazakhstan. Since the 1920s the Kazakh population has been decreasing, and according to the population census of 1926, the population of Kazakhstan was 6, 197,100 of which 57.1% were Kazakh, 19.68% were Russian, and 3.28% were Uzbeks. When compared to the population census of 1959, the proportion of Kazakhs decreased to 29.7%, the effect of the Soviet's immigration policy. [1]

The last census conducted during the USSR era was in the year 1989, any records thereafter regarding the population census were conducted by new republics that rose after the fall of the USSR. The population census was a necessary tool to observe the structural changes in population of those republics and the migration of people between 1989 – 2009. Furthermore, the census acted as a measurement of changes in national structure, language, gender and age category, employment level, and many other indicators in the level of republics, cities, region, and villages.

In the short time frame between the last census by the USSR (1989) and prior to the independence of Kazakhstan, socio-demographic changes played an impactful role to the migration process of the Republic. It should be noted that the outflow of population in Kazakhstan began on the second half of the 1970s, and by early 1980s the outflow of population was growing at a severe rate. By late 1980s, the outflow of population was pushed higher by political situation such as the “December Riots” (after 1986). The effect of this event was also noted by researcher M. Tatimov, in his work named “Қазақ әлемі” (Kazakh’s world).

Before 1989, there was an overlap of foreign immigrants to the number of Kazakh moving within the country. During the 60s and 70s, restricted cities such as Semipalatinsk Nuclear Area and Baikonur Cosmodrome, and various industries such as military, electric power, steel, and chemical, were largely occupied by foreign employees from other part of the USSR.

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991 high skilled labors who were assigned to Kazakhstan during the USSR era began to move out. In ten years, from 1989 – 1999 the population of Kazakhstan decreased by 1.2 million, between 1993 – 2000 the population further decreased by 1.5 million. There are many reasons for the incredible rate of outflow, but one of the more credible is that many were simply returning home.

According to the 1989 population census, Kazakhstan had a population of 16,527,600 of which 56.3% were urban residents, and 43.7% were from rural areas. During 1989 – 1991 there were signs that population growth has commenced, population grew slightly from 16,690,300 in 1990 to 16,793,100 in 1991 (there has not been any significant changes in the percentage of urban vs. rural residents). In the four years from 1989 - 1992, population grew at an average rate of mere 0.7%, then from 1992 – 1994 Kazakhstan experienced a decline in population at an average rate of 0.9%. [2]

Towards the end of 1990s the percentage of population exiting Kazakhstan started declining, partially driven by the Russian economic reforms that followed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This reform made traveling in and out of the country less flexible as the application processes were made more complicated. Another driver for that decline was a weak domestic market for imported goods, which were usually brought in by travelers. Therefore as demand was weakening there was no more incentive for merchants to make the travel for sourcing products.

Migration processes of sovereign Kazakhstan can be divided into 2 periods:

First period: 1991-2003. Apart from the rising outflow of people described above, during this time period, Kazakhstan also experienced a decline in birth rate and a growth in death rate, which is why there is a decline in natural growth rate. Between 1991-2003 population of Kazakhstan decreased from 16,793,100 to 14,866,800. [3]

Second period: 2004-2009. The second period of migration started in 2004, where the decrease of population finally ended. Starting from 2004, the situation was reversed from people exiting the country to people moving into the country, as more signs of economic stability in Kazakhstan started to surface. Although the number is trivial there was an increase of 2,789 people to the population of Kazakhstan in 2004. According to the statistical data, during the second period of migration process, which happened during 2004 – 2009, the number of population exiting the country was recorded at 1,806,800 vs. 1,877,300 numbers of people entering the country. A total number of 3,684,100 people were involved in the migration process. When looking at the difference between the number of inflow and outflow, there is an apparent growth in population by 70,600 due to migration process. [4]

During the period of 2004 – 2009, the natural growth of the country boosted the country population by 756,200. If the effect of migration process is taken into account, then the number of population grew by 826,800. At the same time rural population kept the migration within the country active by moving into cities, where the government had plans to improve social and economic development. The government’s policy encouraged 1,567,700 people to migrate within the country.

When looking at the timeline of 1991 – 2009, a total of 1,657,700 people immigrated into the country and 3,859,500 people emigrated out of the country. By 2009, the population of Kazakhstan reached 16,004,800, however still below the level of 1991, a population count of 16,793,100.

The decline in Kazakh population during 1991 – 2003 was heavily caused by the social, economical, and political reforms that were initiated after the collapse of the Soviet Union. By 2004 the trend has reversed due to the politics of the current President on regulation of migration processes, and the stability of the country that triggered a natural growth within the country.

Appendix:

1. Ethno-demographic situation of independent Kazakhstan and its main tendencies.// History of Kazakhstan: people and cultures. – Almaty: Daik-Press, 2001.- p.600.

2. Vishnevsky A.G. Russian population. – Moscow: Science, 2001.-p. 90.

3. Statictical Yearbook of Kazakhstan. 2000. – Almaty: The Agency of statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 2000. – p. 23;

4. Migration process of Kazakhstan in 2008. N 15. – Almaty: The Agency of statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 2009. – p.38