In 2025, 16,805 ethnic Kazakhs returned to their historical homeland, receiving the status of "kandasy," as reported by the press service of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population.
According to the Ministry of Labor, 44.5% of the kandasy arrived from Uzbekistan, 44.1% from China, 4% from Turkmenistan, 3% from Mongolia, 2.5% from Russia, and 1.9% from other countries.
Among those who arrived, 57.4% are of working age, 34% are minors, and 8.6% are retirees. Of the kandasy of working age, 15% have higher education, 27.5% have specialized secondary education, 51.2% have general secondary education, and 6.3% have no education.
The regions designated for the resettlement of the kandasy are labor-deficient areas such as Akmolinsk, Kostanay, Pavlodar, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan, and North Kazakhstan regions, as well as the Abai region. As a result, in 2025, 2,309 kandasy were resettled to these regions.
The Ministry also reported that in 2025, various forms of support were provided to 1,834 kandasy, including 428 individuals who found permanent jobs, and 586 families received certificates for economic mobility to purchase or build housing.
Since 1991, 1,164.8 thousand ethnic Kazakhs have returned to Kazakhstan.
