2016 hit Kazakhstanis in the wallets

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Real incomes in Kazakhstan decreased by 4.5percent in 2016. It is the most significant drop over the past 16 years, according to ranking.kz.

According to statistics, during 2011-2015 the number of people whose incomes are below the subsistence level decreased by a factor of two. However, in 2016, this process did not just stop, but really the trend has reversed. And by the end of the 3rd quarter their number was already 452 thousand or 6 thousand more than a year before. In comparison with the end of the 3rd quarter of 2015 the number of low income Kazakhstanis increased by almost 27 thousand, while the number of wealthy Kazakhstanis increased by 18.3 thousand.

10percent of the wealthiest citizens have 23.6percent of all incomes. The level of inequality in Kazakhstan remains low (0.281), although the figure has grown in comparison with 2013.

The largest number of low income households in the country is in the south of Kazakhstan: South Kazakhstan region (289,600 at the end of Q3 2016), Almaty region (201 thousand) and Almaty (175 thousand).

It should be reminded that previous anti-record was set in 2009, when the level of real income decreased by 3.1percent.