ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 14. Kazakhstan’s manufacturing sector expanded by 9.9% in January-April 2026, Trend reports via the country's Ministry of Industry and Construction.
The overall increase was supported by strong performance across several industries, including machine-building, chemicals, construction materials, and the light industry.
Machine-building recorded the highest growth at 23.3%, driven by higher production of cars, electronics, electrical equipment, and machinery. Passenger car output rose by 36.5% on the back of new production facilities, including KIA plants in Kostanay and a multi-brand automotive plant in Almaty. The Atyrau Wagon Plant also launched production of tank wagons, further supporting sector expansion.
Construction materials production increased by 27.7%, supported by higher output of cement, concrete, construction mortars, and reinforced concrete structures, ensuring full coverage of domestic demand for key building materials.
The chemical industry grew by 18.4%, driven by increased production of polypropylene, sulfuric acid, fertilizers, and paint and coating materials. Additional momentum came from new capacities launched by "EuroChem-Karatau".
Light industry showed the strongest growth, with output more than doubling. Production increased across textiles, clothing, footwear, and leather goods.
Growth was also recorded in plastics, metal structures, furniture, paper, food, and beverage production.
Overall, the expansion of manufacturing is being driven by the launch of new industrial projects and the ramp-up of existing facilities. In January–April 2026, Kazakhstan commissioned 43 new projects worth 144.8 billion tenge (about $314 million), creating 2,745 jobs.
The calculation is based on the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Kazakhstan as of May 12 (1 USD = 461.26 KZT).
