Kazakhstan

Asia and Pacific

Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan, UNHCR focuses on strengthening local ownership and quality of asylum systems, promoting local integration of refugees, and eradicating statelessness.

Latest funding update

Office contact details ↓

Kazakhstan. UNHCR partner helps mother to break cycle of statelessness

Are you a refugee, asylum-seeker or stateless person looking for help? Visit the HELP site to find support and services from UNHCR.

Visit HELP site

Key statistics

74,000

people were displaced or stateless (or returning from forced displacement) within the country at the end of 2024

7,865

people were identified as stateless in the country at the end of 2024, lacking a nationality

$9.6 million

are needed in 2025 to ensure operations covered by the Kazakhstan multi-country office* are sustained

Find more data here

*UNHCR’s operations in Kazakhstan are managed by the Kazakhstan multi-country office, which also oversees operations in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with needs budgeted jointly.

Kazakhstan is a State Party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol and has an established Refugee Law and national asylum procedures. In 2024, Kazakhstan has adopted the Ashgabat Declaration on Ending Statelessness in Central Asia.

With a strong focus on reducing statelessness, UNHCR works closely with national authorities in the country to enhance birth registration and documentation procedures - efforts that have enabled thousands of individuals to confirm their nationality or acquire citizenship. More than 7,800 stateless people are currently identified in the country by the Government and partners.

UNHCR also supports over 600 asylum-seekers and refugees in Kazakhstan, primarily from Afghanistan and Ukraine, by providing legal assistance, facilitating access to healthcare and education, and promoting their inclusion in national social protection systems. Additionally, it is estimated that more than 65,500 people in Kazakhstan are in a "refugee-like" situation, facing protection risks similar to those of recognized refugees.

The Kazakhstan Multi-Country Office, also known as the Representation for Central Asia and based in Almaty, provides strategic direction, coordination, and funding support for operations across the region, covering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.