Kazakhstan Reports 7% Growth in Metal Production
During the government meeting held on July 22, Vice Minister of Industry and Construction Olzhas Saparbekov announced a 7.8% increase in metallurgical ore production and a 6.9% rise in metal production in Kazakhstan. These developments underscore the sector’s significant contribution to the national economy.
Kazakhstan aims to substantially expand its metallurgical capacity by 2025, with plans to double copper processing, increase aluminum processing by 50%, raise zinc output by 11%, and more than double lead processing volumes. The government also prioritizes the development of related industries and the production of high value-added products to enhance economic diversification.
Currently, the mining and metallurgical complex constitutes approximately 8% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with production volumes exceeding 14 trillion tenge (approximately US$26 billion). The sector employs around 224,000 workers. In 2024 alone, investments in metallurgy surpassed 1.7 trillion tenge (around US$3 billion). Labor productivity in the industry improved by 9.4%, reaching an average of $102,000 per employee.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov emphasized the government’s commitment to further supporting the sector by allocating an additional 30 billion tenge (approximately US$56 million) for geological exploration activities in 2025. He also noted ongoing efforts to attract investments into projects focused on high value-added production.
“Measures to provide domestic manufacturers with basic metals help to keep existing enterprises producing medium and high value-added products busy. Production of wire rod, cable and wire products, batteries, window profiles, furniture fittings, and other goods is increasing. New projects have also been launched for the production of bimetallic heating radiators, industrial batteries, and brass products,” said Saparbekov.
In line with Kazakhstan’s digital transformation agenda, the metallurgy sector is undergoing significant modernization through automation, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence. These innovations aim to increase operational agility, efficiency, transparency, and sustainability within the mining and metallurgical complex.
Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev reported that, as part of this digitalization drive, 15 public services related to the mining sector have been made available to citizens and organizations in 2025, with 14 accessible through online platforms.
“More than 220,000 Kazakh citizens work in the country’s mining and metallurgical complex, and a significant number of people are involved in related industries. These are small and medium-sized businesses, which are more flexible, innovative, and focused on the end consumer. Therefore, incentives are needed to develop these industries,” said Bektenov.
Over the course of the year, a total of 979 million public services were delivered, 87.6% (919 million) of which were provided electronically. The most frequently requested services included licenses for mining and chemical activities, permits for processing goods within or outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) customs territory, and the issuance or renewal of geological or mining allotments.
Photo credit: erg.kz
