Population of Kazakhstan reaches 20 million
Kazakhstan National Statistics announced that the 20 millionth Kazakh citizen was born on November 14. According to the statement of the institution, five children, 3 boys and 2 girls, were born on November 14 at 08.10, and they became the 20 millionth citizens of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan, which is the ninth-largest country in the world by area and has a common border with countries such as China and Russia due to its location in Central Asia, has been pursuing a policy aimed at solving the population problem for about 30 years.
According to the information of the National Statistical Institute, the population of Kazakhstan, which declared its independence in 1991, fell from 16 million 793 thousand to 14 million 867 thousand in a short time as a result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In the country, where only 40 percent of the total population is Kazakhs, the majority of people of Russian, German, Ukrainian, and Belarusian origin began to migrate to their historical homeland.
Faced with a major demographic crisis, the Kazakhstan government developed a population policy aimed at bringing back nearly 5 million Kazakhs from more than 40 countries, known to be the descendants of those who left due to political oppression and famine during the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s.
Kazakhstan, which decided to cover the return of ethnic Kazakhs living abroad to their historical homeland from the state budget, launched the "Bright Migration" program under the instructions of Founding President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Within the framework of the program, the annual quota given to ethnic Kazakhs migrating to the country was increased from 10 thousand to 20 thousand, and many priorities were provided, such as being employed with state aid, gaining the right to enter university, and benefiting from health services and social payments.
In 2020, by the decision of President Kasım Jomert Tokayev, ethnic Kazakhs were allowed to simultaneously apply for citizenship of the country in addition to a residence permit.
Thanks to the measures taken, the proportion of ethnic Kazakhs in the demographic structure of Kazakhstan exceeded 70 percent. Approximately 15 percent of the population is of Russian origin.
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