Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world, with an area of 2,700,000 square kilometres (1,000,000 sq mi), equivalent to the area of Western Europe. Its population is 19 million people.
Kazakhstan has the largest economy in Central Asia, generating 60% of the region's GDP.
Kazakhstan has rich reserves of accessible mineral and fossil resources.
The Republic ranks first in the world in proven reserves of tungsten and barite, second in silver, lead and chromite, uranium, and zinc, third in copper and fluorite, fourth in molybdenum, sixth in gold, and eighth in coal reserves. Kazakhstan is also an exporter of diamonds. Kazakhstan ranks 11th in explored reserves of oil and natural gas.
Kazakhstan is among the world's top ten grain exporters and is one of the leaders in flour exports.
Kazakhstan was the first former Soviet republic to repay all of its debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 7 years ahead of schedule. In September 2002, Kazakhstan became the first country in the CIS to receive an investment grade credit rating from a major international rating agency.
The state joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2015
The government plans to transition to a green economy in Kazakhstan by 2050. The green economy is projected to increase GDP by 3% and create more than 500,000 new jobs.
In 2020, the country ranked third, after China and Qatar, among the 25 most dynamic economies of the first decade of the 21st century.
To diversify the economy, the country is successfully implementing a programme of industrial and innovative development, under which old enterprises are being modernised and new ones opened.
Kazakhstan is implementing a large-scale project "New Silk Road", which should revive the country's historical role as the main connecting link of the continent and turn it into the largest business and transit hub of the region - a kind of bridge between Europe and Asia.
The country is undergoing large-scale social modernisation - new schools, professional colleges and universities are being built, modern medical clinics and hospitals are being opened, and the social support system is being improved.
Stable growth of economic sectors, international recognition, and political stability have become the basis for the prosperity of Kazakhstan's society. Kazakhstan is a future-oriented country that preserves its cultural traditions and successfully realises its enormous creative potential in today's dynamic world.
Of the five Central Asian republics, Kazakhstan is Switzerland's most important trading partner. Economic relations between the two countries have intensified and have considerable potential for further growth. With a total bilateral trade volume of almost USD 1.3 billion. According to statistics from the National Bank of Kazakhstan, Switzerland is the third largest foreign investor in the country (after the Netherlands and the USA). About 40 Swiss companies are registered in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is also Germany's most important economic partner in Central Asia. In 2022, bilateral trade totalled €9.8 billion (imports to Germany: €7 billion; exports to Kazakhstan: €2.8 billion). In total, around 350 German companies are represented in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is one of our main areas of co-operation. We have been maintaining friendly and business relations with Kazakhstan for more than 10 years.