This statistic shows the biggest cities in Kazakhstan in 2023. In 2023, approximately 2.16 million people lived in Almaty, making it the biggest city in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City data was reported at 1,547,257.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,534,894.000 Person for 2016. Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 1,069,962.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,547,257.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 528,653.000 Person in 1960. Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;

As of September 2020, Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population of over two million inhabitants accounting for 11 percent of the total population of the country, offered by far the largest number of public bus routes - a total of 187. The capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, followed next with 101 public bus routes available for its locals and visitors.

Population in largest city in Kazakhstan was reported at 2015209 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kazakhstan - Population in largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Geographical Outreach: Number of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in 3 Largest Cities for Kazakhstan (KAZFCACLNUM) from 2004 to 2015 about Kazakhstan, ATM, banks, and depository institutions.

Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 16.112 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 16.205 % for 2016. Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 12.242 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.395 % in 2014 and a record low of 11.431 % in 1967. Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted Average;

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in Kazakhstan was reported at 16.76 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kazakhstan - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Abstract

The Kazakhstan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) was conducted in 2015 by the Statistics Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan (herein MNE RK).

This is the third MICS Survey in Kazakhstan. The findings from these surveys were used in development and implementation of state programmes in the areas of mother and child health, as well as country programmes of the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan, highlighting the need to improve the statistical data management system with regard to children. Such surveys are crucially important in terms of assessing the state of children and women in Kazakhstan as they provide unique information for development of the national child-centred policy and for international positioning of Kazakhstan. The survey provides statistically sound and internationally comparable data essential for development of evidence base and programmes, and for monitoring country progress towards national goals and global (international) commitments. Among these global commitments are those emanating from international agreements - the World Fit for Children Declaration and its Plan of Action, the goals of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the Education for All Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In addition, the 2015 Kazakhstan MICS results will contribute to establishing a baseline for monitoring the state of women and children in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

OBJECTIVES

• To provide up-to-date information for assessing the situation of children and women in the Republic of Kazakhstan;

• To collect information that will help to improve national policies in the area of childhood and motherhood protection;

• To generate data for the critical assessment of the progress made in various areas, and to put additional efforts in areas that require more attention;

• To collect disaggregated data for the identification of disparities, to allow for evidence based policy-making aimed at social inclusion of the most vulnerable;

• To validate data from other sources and the results of focused interventions;

• To contribute to the generation of baseline data for the post-2015 agenda;

• To contribute to the improvement of data and monitoring systems in the Republic of Kazakhstan and to strengthen technical expertise in the design and implementation of such systems as well as in a better analysis of available data.

Geographic coverage

National level, for urban and rural areas, and for 16 administrative districts (14 regions and 2 cities) of the country: Akmola, Aktobe, Almaty oblast, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Karaganda, Kostanai, Kyzylorda, Mangistau, South Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan and East Kazakhstan regions, and two large cities Astana and Almaty. Urban and rural areas in each of the 14 regions and 2 large cities of republican significance - Astana and Almaty - were defined as the sampling strata.

Analysis unit

• Individuals

• Households

Universe

All de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged 15-49 years and all children under 5.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The database and cartographic materials of the 2009 National Population Census (2009 Census) in the Republic of Kazakhstan were used in the process forming the sampling frame. The census enumeration areas (EAs) formed for the Census were used as the primary sampling units (PSUs).

The urban and rural areas within each region were identified as the main sampling strata and the sample was selected in two stages. In total, 30 strata were formed - 16 urban including two large cities and 14 rural. At the first sampling stage within each stratum, 840 census enumeration areas were selected systematically with probability proportional to size. At the second sampling stage, upon conducting a household listing within the selected enumeration areas, a random systematic sample of 20 households was drawn in each sample enumeration area, for a total sample size of 16,800 households.

Out of 840 clusters, which were liable for verification, cluster #338, located in the Karaganda region, was inaccessible due to the fact that this territory is under a long-term lease to the Russian Federation and thus under its jurisdiction.

The sample was stratified by region, urban and rural areas, and is not self-weighted. The sample weights are used for reporting nationally representative results. A more detailed description of the sample design can be found in the Final Report (Appendix A, Sample Design) attached as Related Material.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Three sets of questionnaires were used in the survey: 1) a household questionnaire which was used to collect basic demographic information on all de jure household members (usual residents), the household, and the dwelling; 2) a questionnaire for individual women administered in each household to all women aged 15-49 years; and 3) an under-5 questionnaire, administered to mothers (or primary caretakers) of all children under 5 living in the household that included a form for collecting vaccination records at Health Facilities for children under 3.

The Fertility module was included in order to be able to calculate indicators concerning total fertility rate and adolescent birth rate. From the onset, it was decided that childhood mortality indicators will not be calculated on the basis of this survey. Following the 2013 UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) mission to Kazakhstan, which assessed that the official registration of births and deaths of children aged 0 to 5 years in the country was in line with international standards, the government made a decision to use infant and child mortality data generated by the official statistics, taking into account the adjustments of the IGME.

The Questionnaire for Children Under Five was administered to mothers (or primary caretakers) of children under 5 years of age living in the households. Normally, the questionnaire was administered to mothers of under-5 children; in cases when the mother was not listed in the household roster, a primary caretaker for the child was identified and interviewed.

An additional form was used for all children aged 0-2 years with a completed Questionnaire for Children Under Five, the Appendix for Data Collection at Health Facility About Immunization, to record vaccinations from the registries at health facilities.

The questionnaires are based on the MICS5 model questionnaires. From the MICS5 model English and Russian versions, the questionnaires were customised for 2015 Kazakhstan MICS and translated into the Kazakh language. The questionnaires in the Kazakh and Russian languages were pre-tested in Astana city and in the urban and rural settlements of Karaganda region in May 2015. Based on the results of the pre-test, modifications were made to the wording and translation of the questionnaires. A copy of the 2015 Kazakhstan MICS questionnaires is provided as Related Material.

In addition to the administration of questionnaires, fieldwork teams tested salt used for cooking in the households for iodine content, observed the place for handwashing, and measured the weight and height of children under 5 years of age.

Cleaning operations

Data entry was done using the CSPro software, Version 5.0. The data entry was done on 10 desktop computers by 10 data entry operators and overseen by 2 office editors (questionnaire administrator and data entry editor), as well as by one data entry supervisor. For quality assurance purposes, all questionnaires were entered twice and internal consistency checks were performed. Procedures and standard programmes developed under the global MICS programme and adapted to the 2015 Kazakhstan MICS questionnaires were used throughout. Data processing began in parallel with data collection on 15 September and was completed in December 2015. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, Version 21. Model syntaxes and tabulation plans developed by UNICEF were customized and used for this purpose.

Response rate

Of the 16,791 households in the sample, 16,605 households were inhabited. Of these, 16,500 households were successfully interviewed: the proportion of interviewed households amounted to 99.4 percent. 12,910 women aged 15-49 years were identified in the interviewed households, of which 12,670 women were successfully interviewed: the proportion of female respondents in interviewed households was 98.1 percent. The list of household members in the household Questionnaire identified 5,561 children under 5. Questionnaires were completed for 5,510 children, which corresponds to 99.1 percent response rate for the interviewed households.

The household response rates in urban and rural areas were more than 99 percent, and by regions - more than 98 percent.

Sampling error estimates

The sample of respondents selected in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey - 2015 Kazakhstan MICS - is only one of the samples that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design and size. Each of these samples would yield results that differ somewhat from the results of the actual sample selected. Sampling errors are a measure of the variability between the estimates from all possible samples. The extent of variation or variability is not known exactly, but can be estimated statistically from the survey data.

The following sampling

Abstract

The 1995 Kazakstan Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) is part of the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program, which is designed to collect data on fertility, family planning and maternal and child health. The 1995 KDHS was the first national level population and health survey in Kazakstan. The purpose of the survey was to provide the Ministry of Health of Kazakstan with information on fertility, reproductive practices of women, maternal care, child health and mortality, child nutrition practices, breastfeeding, nutritional status and anemia. This information is important for understanding the factors that influence the reproductive health of women and the health and survival of infants and young children. It can be used in planning effective policies and programs regarding the health and nutrition of women and their children. This is especially important now during this the time of economic transition which involves virtually all aspects of life for the people of Kazakstan. The survey provides data important to the assessment of the overall demographic situation in the country. It is expected that the findings of the KDHS will become a useful source of information necessary for the ongoing health care reform in Kazakstan.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household
• Children under five years
• Women age 15-49
• Men

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The 1995 KDHS employed a nationally representative probability sample of women age 15-49. The country was divided into five survey regions. Four survey regions consisted of groups of contiguous oblasts (except the East Kazakstanskaya oblast which is not contiguous). Almaty City constituted a survey region by itself although it is part of the Almatinskaya oblast. The five survey regions were defined as follows:

I) Almaty City 2) South Region: Taldy-Korganskaya, Almatinskaya (except Almaty city), Dzhambylskaya, South Kazakstanskaya, and Kzyl-Ordinskaya 3) West Region: Aktiubinskaya, Mangistauskaya, Atyrauskaya, and West Kazakstanskaya 4) Central Region: Semipalatinskaya, Zhezkazganskaya, and Tourgaiskaya 5) North and East Region: East Kazakstanskaya, Pavlodarskaya, Karagandinskaya, Akmolinskaya, Kokchetauskaya, North Kazakstanskaya, and Koustanaiskaya

It is important to note that the oblast composition of regions outside of Almaty City was determined on the basis of geographic proximity, and in order to achieve similarity with respect to reproductive practices within regions. The South and West Regions are comprised of oblasts which traditionally have a high proportion of Kazak population and high fertility levels. The Central Region contains three oblasts in which the fertility level is similar to the national average. The North and East Region contains seven oblasts situated in northern Kazakstan in which a relatively high proportion of the population is of Russian origin, and the fertility level is lower than the national average.

In Almaty City, the sample for the 1995 KDHS was selected in two stages. In the first stage, 40 census counting blocks were selected with equal probability from the 1989 list of census counting blocks. A complete listing of the households in the selected counting blocks was carried out. The lists of households served as the frame for second-stage sampling; i.e., the selection of the households to be visited by the KDHS interviewing teams. In each selected household, women age 15-49 were eligible to be interviewed.

In the rural areas, the primary sampling units (PSUs) were the raions which were selected with probability proportional to size, the size being the 1993 population published by Goskomstat (1993). At the second stage, one village was selected in each selected raion, from the 1989 Registry of Villages. This resulted in 50 rural clusters being selected. At the third stage, households were selected in each cluster following the household listing operation as in Almaty City.

In the urban areas other than Almaty City, the PSUs were the cities and towns themselves. In the second stage, one health block was selected from each town except in self-representing cities (large cities that were selected with certainty) where more than one health block was selected. The selected health blocks were segmented prior to the household listing operation which provided the household lists for the third stage selection of households. In total, 86 health blocks were selected.

On average, 22 households were selected in each urban cluster, and 33 households were selected in each rural cluster. It was expected that the sample would yield interviews with approximately 4,000 women between the ages of 15 and 49.

Note: See detailed description of sample design in APPENDIX B of the survey report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face

Research instrument

Two questionnaires were used for the 1995 KDHS: the Household Questionnaire and the Individual Questionnaire. The questionnaires were based on the model survey instruments developed in the DHS program. They were adapted to the data needs of Kazakhstan during consultations with specialists in the areas of reproductive health, child health and nutrition in Kazakhstan.

The Household Questionnaire was used to enumerate all usual members and visitors in tile sample households and to collect information relating to the socioeconomic position of a household. In the: first part of the Household Questionnaire, information was collected on age, sex, educational attainment, marital status, and relationship to the head of household of each person listed as a household member or visitor. A primary objective of the first part of the Household Questionnaire was to identify women who were eligible for the individual interview. In the second part of the Household Questionnaire, questions were included on the dwelling unit, such as the number of rooms, the flooring material, the source of water, the type of toilet facilities, and on the availability of a variety of consumer goods.

The Individual Questionnaire was used to collect information from women age 15-49. These women were asked questions on the following major topics: - Background characteristics - Pregnancy history - Outcome of pregnancies and antenatal care - Child health and nutrition practices - Child immunization and episodes of diarrhea and respiratory illness - Knowledge and use of contraception - Marriage and fertility preferences - Husband's background and woman's work - Anthropometry of children and mothers - Hemoglobin measurement of women and children

One of the major efforts of the 1995 KDHS was testing women and children for iron-deficiency anemia. Testing was done by measuring hemoglobin levels in the blood using the Hemocue technique. Before collecting the blood sample, each woman was asked to sign a consent form giving permission for the collection of a finger-stick blood droplet from herself and her children. Results of anemia testing were kept confidential (as are all KDHS data); however, strictly with the consent of respondents, local health care facilities were informed of women and children who had severely low levels of hemoglobin (less than 7 g/dl).

Cleaning operations

Questionnaires were returned to the Institute of Nutrition in Almaty for data processing. The office editing staff checked that the questionnaires for all selected households and eligible respondents were returned from the field. The few questions which had not been pre-coded (e.g., occupation, type of chronic disease) were coded at this time. Data were then entered and edited on microcomputers using the ISSA (Integrated System for Survey Analysis) package, with the data entry software translated into Russian. Office editing and data entry activities began in May 1995 (i.e., the same time that fieldwork started) and were completed in September 1995.

Response rate

A total of 4,480 households were selected in the sample, of which 4,241 were occupied at the time of fieldwork. The main reason for the difference was that some dwelling units which were occupied at the time of the household listing operation were either vacant or the household members were away for an extended period at the time of interviewing. Of the 4,241 occupied households, 4,178 were interviewed, yielding a household response rate of 99 percent.

In the interviewed households, 3,899 women were eligible for the individual interview (i.e., all women 15-49 years of age who were either usual residents or visitors who had spent the previous night in the household). Interviews were successfully completed with 3,771 of these women, yielding a response rate of 97 percent. The principal reason for non-response was the failure to find an eligible woman at home after repeated visits to the household. The overall response rate for the survey--the product of the household and the individual response rates--was 95 percent.

Note: See summarized response rates by place of residence in Table 1.1 of the survey report .

Sampling error estimates

The estimates from a sample survey are affected by two types of errors: (1) non-sampling errors, and (2) sampling errors. Non-sampling errors are the results of mistakes made in implementing data collection and data processing, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, misunderstanding of the questions on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, and data entry errors. Although numerous efforts were made during the implementation of the KDHS to minimize this type of error, non-sampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate

Abstract

The main objectives of sampling household budget survey are:

1) Obtaining representative and reliable economic and statistical information about the level of the population in general and of vulnerable sections in particular it; 2) Use of data for poverty monitoring; 3) Establishing an operational data collection and processing with the use of computer equipment and modern technology.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling of households was created by multi-probabilistic (random) sample. This principle guarantees the independence of the selection of the sample results and avoid deliberate its mistakes. Formation of a sample of households was carried out by the territorial principle-based register (list) of housing facilities, set up following the National Census of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Network representative as to the national and at regional level.

General population was divided into six strata: large, medium and small cities of Almaty, Astana, and the countryside.

• The first stratum includes households of major cities with the number of households over 30 thousand units.
• The second stratum comprises households with medium-sized cities of households over 10 thousand units, but less than 30 thousand.
• The third stratum includes households in small towns and townships with the number of households no more than 10 thousand units.
• The fourth stratum comprises households in Almaty.
• The fifth stratum includes households of the city of Astana.
• The sixth stratum includes households of rural settlements.

The sample size was formed on the basis of the objectives of the survey, the degree of heterogeneity of the population studied in terms of properties and financing. The sample size for each stratum was determined using the following formula:

                       Ni
                  ni =-------*n ,
                       N

where:

n = 12000 ni - rounded to a multiple of 30, i = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

All cities included in the first stratum, Almaty and Astana were selected with a probability equal to unity. Therefore, in the first stratum sample size of households was determined for each of the following formula:

                       N1j
                 n1j =-------* n1,
                       N1

where:

N1 - all households first stratum, N1j - the number of households of the j-th first stratum, n1 - a sample size first stratum, n1j - a sample size of the j-th first stratum (values rounded to a multiple of 30)

The sample medium, small cities and towns by the method of simple random sampling (PSV) using the software package SPSS. All medium-sized cities that are included in the second stratum, located from west to east in the following order: 1. West Kazakhstan region; 2. Atyrau region; 3. Mangystau; 4. Aktobe region; 5. Kyzylorda region; 6. Kostanay; 7. South Kazakhstan region; 8. Aqmola; 9. Karaganda region; 10. North Kazakhstan region; 11. Zhambyl; 12. Pavlodar region; 13. Almaty region; 14. East Kazakhstan region.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Almaty had all nine grocery delivery services, which was the highest number among all cities in Kazakhstan in 2023. The city was home to Jmart (Jusan Magasin), Glovo, Wolt, MagnumCo, Kaspi.kz, Arbuz.kz, Airba fresh, Choco Ryadom, and Yandex.Eda. Ranking second was the capital Astana, which counted six delivery services in the same year. Approximately nine percent of e-grocery customers used food delivery services once a week.

The city of Almaty is one of the largest cities in the Republic of Kazakhstan and has a population of about 2.2 million people (at the end of 2022), about 2.5 million more people live in the urban agglomeration. Almaty is also the largest cultural, industrial and commercial center of the Almaty region. All this contributes to a large flow of people who both work in the city and come from the region to work. In connection with the above, several problems arise:· Weak development of public transport. The city's road system is relatively undeveloped, with about 165 bus/trolleybus routes. The metro is poorly developed and has only 1 branch. At the same time, a large number of private cars are constantly moving in the city. There are no electric trains or LRT for the suburbs.

KZ：最大城市人口在12-01-2017达1,547,257.000人，相较于12-01-2016的1,534,894.000人有所增长。KZ：最大城市人口数据按年更新，12-01-1960至12-01-2017期间平均值为1,069,962.000人，共58份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2017，达1,547,257.000人，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1960，为528,653.000人。CEIC提供的KZ：最大城市人口数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于Global Database的哈萨克斯坦 – 表 KZ.世界银行：人口和城市化进程统计。

KZ：最大城市人口：占城镇人口百分比在12-01-2017达16.112%，相较于12-01-2016的16.205%有所下降。KZ：最大城市人口：占城镇人口百分比数据按年更新，12-01-1960至12-01-2017期间平均值为12.242%，共58份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2014，达16.395%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1967，为11.431%。CEIC提供的KZ：最大城市人口：占城镇人口百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于Global Database的哈萨克斯坦 – 表 KZ.世界银行：人口和城市化进程统计。

Abstract

The project uses public opinion polling to gather and then analyze a sample that represents the entire population of each of four different countries of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Geographic coverage

The project uses public opinion polling to gather and then analyze a sample that represents the entire population of the country.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

For all four Central Asian countries in this survey, the sampling procedure is a three-stage stratified clustered one. Census data on the territorial dispersion of the population is used as the base to start the sampling methodology. The sampling procedure takes the total population of the country, considers geographic units within the country as either urban or rural, and then develops random procedures to select who to survey in three stages: first by randomly selected smaller geographic urban and units in each province (the primary sampling units or PSUs), second randomly chosing households within these units, and third, to randomly select which household member to interview in each household.

The sampling frame used to divide these four countries into smaller geographic units to randomly sample from differs slightly for each Central Asian country, based on differences in data availability on the population of the country and its dispersion. Subsequent sections explain the sampling methodology used and how this sampling frame differs in each country. Then all four countries have PSUs, random selection of households, and random sampling of individuals within households using the same methods, which are discussed at length only in the first country example - Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan has 14 provinces plus the cities of Almaty and Astana which are considered separate units. All provinces are divided into districts, of which there are 198 in the country. Districts incorporate towns (with more than 100,000 inhabitants), small towns (with between 30,000 to 100,000 inhabitants) and villages (less than 30,000 inhabitants). A number of villages, in turn, are incorporated into rural districts (selskiy okrug). In total, Kazakhstan has cities of Almaty and Astana, 17 towns, 258 small towns, 2,140 rural districts, and 7,986 villages. The population of Kazakhstan wass 14,953,126 people, of which 8,377,303 (56%) lived in urban areas, and 6,575,823 (44%) lived in rural areas as of January 1, 2004.

In Kazakhstan, since interviewers would not be allowed in electoral districts that use administrative restrictions to prohibit access of outsiders or that are unsafe for polling, 395 city electoral districts are excluded from the sampling frame. These 19.6% of the total number of electoral districts in the country are hospitals, prisons and military zones. The estimate of the population in excluded electoral districts is not available, because there is no resident population in these areas as defined in the census.

The sampling frame for Kazakhstan was developed from a list of three types of small territorial units, which are the primary sampling units (PSUs) used in the survey. The three are: small settlements of less than 3,000 inhabitants for which each is a distinct PSU; parts of large settlements divided into populations between 2,500 and 5,000 for urban settlements and 1,500 to 3,000 for rural settlements each as a separate PSU; and electoral districts from large settlements each as separate PSU. Such a procedure is suboptimal, but needed when there is no information on a population in administrative-territorial units smaller sizes (such as there is by makhallas in Uzbekistan).

Sampling is through three-stage stratified clustered sampling. First, PSUs are determined by province stratified by urban and rural population size. This primary probabiliby sampling (PPS-sampling) of PSUs selects a total of 61 PSUs represent the urban and rural population of Kazakhstan to generate 1,500 interviews. Second, sequential random sampling of households is done to select secondary sampling units (SSUs) in the selected PSUs. Third, a Kish grid is used to ensure random sampling of respondents within each household.

To generate PSUs, each province is treated as a separate unit for sampling. For each province, sampling is proportionate to the share of the population of the country that it comprises, which in turn is divided into the share of the urban and rural population each province comprises of the entire country. This allocation is done for all 16 provinces. Based on their size relative to the entire urban and rural population of the country, the proportion of the sample that should be drawn from each urban and rural population of each province to represent the nation is determined. For example, Akmola has 748,930 residents, which is 5.0% of the population of Kazakhstan. Thus in a sample of 1,500 residents of the country, 5% or 75 people are drawn from Akmola. The share of urban and rural interviews is determined from the proportion of the country that the urban and rural population is for the rprovince. Provinces with larger urban and rural populations will have more people selected for interviews relative to those with smaller populations. Again, for Akmola, 349,153 people are urban residents, which is 46.6% of the province. This leads to sampling 35 of these city dwellers. 399,777 people are rural inhabitants, 53.4% of the population of the province, which leads to sampling 40 rural residents from Akmola.

The number of PSUs to be sampled to achieve the needed quota for urban and rural residents in each province depends on a minimum number of interviews to be achieved per PSU, the costs of data collection, supervision, control and follow-up, as well as minimum effective number to conduct the survey in a PSU. The number of people surveyed varies in Kazakhstan in the 61 PSUs surveyed from a low of 8 to a high of 30 people. An approximately equal number of interviews are allocated respectively for each selected urban and rural PSU.

Then the actual geographic units (PSUs) in each province to be polled are determined by a random process. A list of all urban and rural PSUs is composed for each province. The probability a PSU is selected for the survey depends on the size of either the urban or rural population within it. The PPS-sampling is carried out by sorted these units by size and randomly chosing which PSUs to survey over and over until the required number of urban and rural units is reached. To stick with the Akmola example, the quota of 35 urban residents can be reasonably reached by surveying 2 urban PSUs, and querying 18 people in one and 17 in another. For the quota of 40 rural respondents, again 2 PSUs are selected randomly and 20 respondents will be selected in each. Thus interviewers will visit 4 different randomly selected PSUs in the province to find these 35 urban and 40 rural Kazakhstanis.

Sequential random sampling of households is done by supervisors and interviewers during the fieldwork through a special form with random numbers that is used to draw a sample of households. Ideally, when interviewers brief local authorities that they will be conducting a survey in the district, they obtain a list of households from the authorities. However, in many cases the lists of households were made by interviewers without participation of local authorities because the administration was either not willing to provide assistance or was located far away from the district.

Sequential random sampling is done by random numbers associated with serial numbers of households in the list. Once a household has been selected, it cannot be selected again. Any household where the interview fails, from not finding the household or respondent refusal, is replaced with the next one randomly selected, according to the order of the random numbers. Selection is repeated until a required number of interviews is reached in each PSU.

A kish grid is used to randomly sample respondents within households. To selecting a single adult in each selected household, 8 types of Kish grids each with different selection of respondents are combined together under strict proportions to ensure almost equal overall probability for any eligible household member to be chosen to participate in the survey. All household members eligible for the survey are sorted by gender, the primary sorting, and then by age, the secondary sorting. Each is assigned a serial number and a respondent is determined according to the type of Kish grid. Kish grids were assigned to each sample address randomly and in advance to avoid the tendency for interviewers' to interview a "convenient" rather than random household member.

As the table below indicates, the achieved sample differs somewhat from the characteristics of the population found in the prior census. Surveys in Central Asia typically have these issues: an underrepresentation of men and youth, who are difficult to find due to their higher geographic mobility. Weighting is used to somewhat reduce these disproportions statistically.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Response rate

In fieldwork, 181 potential respondents refused to participate, and thus are non-respondents. The average response rate is thus 89% (1,500 of 1,681 cases). Non-response is registered if a completed interview is not achieved after three interviewer callbacks. High numbers of non-response were noted in Akmola, where the response rate was 65.8%; elsewhere response rates were always above 80%. Non-response was more common in urban than rural areas, with the response rate for urban respondents 86.1% compared to 93.7% for rural residents. Rural residents are more

Abstract

The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been conducting redesigned annual Household Budget Surveys since 2001. The HBS introduced in 2001, adopted different sample design and data gathering instruments compared to previous household budget surveys. A new probability sample based on a sampling frame from the 1999 Population Census has been used. A stratified multi-stage cluster sample of 12,000 households is drawn. The HBS questionnaires were redesigned to be more suitable and flexible instruments for multi-purpose analysis and poverty monitoring.

Kazakhstan Household Budget Survey covers household and respondents' characteristics, housing, consumption patterns, sources of income, labor force participation and unemployment, as well as access to education and health services. The data is gathered through face-to-face interviews, 7-day expenditure diaries and quarterly expenditure and income diaries.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Households,
• Individuals.

Universe

The universe includes all households residing in either an individual house, part of a house or individual apartment, and excludes households and individuals residing in institutions and the homeless.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling of households was created by multi-probabilistic (random) sample. This principle guarantees the independence of the selection of the sample results and avoid deliberate its mistakes. Formation of a sample of households was carried out by the territorial principle-based register (list) of housing facilities, set up following the National Census of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Network representative as to the national and at regional level.

General population was divided into six strata: large, medium and small cities of Almaty, Astana, and the countryside.

• The first stratum includes households of major cities with the number of households over 30 thousand units.
• The second stratum comprises households with medium-sized cities of households over 10 thousand units, but less than 30 thousand.
• The third stratum includes households in small towns and townships with the number of households no more than 10 thousand units.
• The fourth stratum comprises households in Almaty.
• The fifth stratum includes households of the city of Astana.
• The sixth stratum includes households of rural settlements.

The sample size was formed on the basis of the objectives of the survey, the degree of heterogeneity of the population studied in terms of properties and financing. The sample size for each stratum was determined using the following formula:

                       Ni
                  ni =-------*n ,
                       N

where:

n = 12000 ni - rounded to a multiple of 30, i = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

All cities included in the first stratum, Almaty and Astana were selected with a probability equal to unity. Therefore, in the first stratum sample size of households was determined for each of the following formula:

                       N1j
                 n1j =-------* n1,
                       N1

where:

N1 - all households first stratum, N1j - the number of households of the j-th first stratum, n1 - a sample size first stratum, n1j - a sample size of the j-th first stratum (values rounded to a multiple of 30)

The sample medium, small cities and towns by the method of simple random sampling (PSV) using the software package SPSS. All medium-sized cities that are included in the second stratum, located from west to east in the following order: 1. West Kazakhstan region; 2. Atyrau region; 3. Mangystau; 4. Aktobe region; 5. Kyzylorda region; 6. Kostanay; 7. South Kazakhstan region; 8. Aqmola; 9. Karaganda region; 10. North Kazakhstan region; 11. Zhambyl; 12. Pavlodar region; 13. Almaty region; 14. East Kazakhstan region

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The survey instrument consists of the following parts:

1) The main interview designed to list all household members for demographic characteristics of households, data on housing conditions, ownership of land and appointment of the next visit. Prior to that, a household receives a letter about the upcoming survey, which indicates the date and time of first visit.

2) Four quarterly interview in April, July and October of this year and in January of next year. Each quarterly interview covers the three previous months and collects information on major expenses and income. At the beginning of the quarter a household receives a register of quarterly expenses, which the interviewer uses an interview during the quarter.

3) Diary account of daily expenses, filled with household within a month of each quarter in accordance with the scheme of rotating groups.