+7 (777) 001 44 99
Қазақша
Русский
English
Tengrinews.kz – The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population has reported how many Kazakhs have returned to their historical homeland since 1991.
“In 2025, 3,203 ethnic Kazakhs returned to their historical homeland and received kandas status (returned Kazakhs). In total, since 1991, more than 1,151,000 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to the republic,” the statement says.
Where the kandas return from: Geography of resettlement
48.1 percent of kandas who arrived in Kazakhstan since the beginning of the year came from China, 39.5 percent from Uzbekistan, 5.8 percent from Turkmenistan, 2.5 percent from Mongolia, 1.9 percent from Russia, and 2.2 percent from other countries.
Who is returning: The profile of a modern kandas
As of April 1, 2025, 60.7 percent of ethnic migrants are of working age, 31.1 percent are minors, and 8.2 percent are retirees.
Among the working-age kandas, 17.9 percent have higher education, 27.8 percent have secondary vocational education, 52.9 percent have general secondary education, and 1.4 percent have no education.
Regions especially in need of kandas
The arriving ethnic Kazakhs have settled in various regions of the country. However, specific labor-deficient regions have been designated for kandas resettlement: Akmola, Abai, Kostanay, Pavlodar, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan, and North Kazakhstan regions. The kandas admission quota for 2025 in these resettlement regions is 2,309 people.
Kandas settling in the above-mentioned regions are provided with government support measures, including a one-time relocation subsidy of 70 MCI (275,200 tenge) for the head and each family member; and monthly subsidies for rent and utilities for one year ranging from 15 to 30 MCI (59,000 to 118,000 tenge).
