ALMATY ( WNAM MONITORING): Kazakhstan has joined the rank of countries with the world’s highest rates of birth registration and consistently strong indicators of child well-being, as children make up 34% of the country’s population, and their number continues to grow, according to national data and recent UNICEF reporting.
International experts say it reflects the long-term orientation of state policy toward supporting families and protecting children. According to the officials, Kazakhstan maintains a birth-registration rate close to 100%, meeting global standards, reported the Ministry of Education’s press service on Nov. 20.
UNICEF’s Situation Analysis of Children and Adolescents in Kazakhstan 2024, published in September 2025, highlights the country’s progress in key areas of child rights and welfare.
Financial support for children
A hallmark of Kazakhstan’s social policy has been the introduction of long-term financial tools aimed at supporting every child. Since 2024, the government has directed 50% of the National Fund’s investment income to individual savings accounts for minors, allowing Kazakhstan to allocate the resource-based revenues specifically for children’s development.
In 2025, each child received approximately $130, with more than 324,000 beneficiaries. Over two years, the accumulated savings have reached $233 per child, laying the foundation for future financial security and access to education or housing.
Access to school meals
Ensuring access to nutritious food remains a central component of national child welfare policy. Since 2023, all primary school students, 1.7 million children, have received hot meals funded by the state. An additional 953,000 children in preschool institutions are also fully covered.
According to UNICEF’s MICS-2024 survey, Kazakhstan’s child nutrition indicators remain within favorable ranges comparable to European and Central Asian standards. Experts emphasized the system’s stability and the absence of sharp fluctuations, confirming the effectiveness of national school and preschool nutrition programs.
Child protection and zero tolerance for abuse
According to the report, Kazakhstan has significantly tightened legal measures aimed at protecting minors from violence. The country has introduced harsher penalties for severe offences against children, including life imprisonment for the gravest crimes. Cases involving crimes against minors can no longer be dismissed due to reconciliation between parties.
“When it comes to a child’s safety, there can be no compromises. The state’s position is zero tolerance. The law must protect the child fully, and we are strengthening measures to ensure this protection is real,” said Chairwoman of the Committee for the Protection of Children’s Rights Nasymzhan Ospanova.
Building institutional capacity for child protection
Kazakhstan has also strengthened its child protection system at the institutional level.The national legislation establishes the standard of one guardianship officer per 5,000 children. As a result, the number of specialists increased from 303 to 1,028, placing Kazakhstan among the few CIS countries with unified staffing standards in child protection services.
An integrated national program, Children of Kazakhstan, will launch in 2026, consolidating all support measures into a single strategic framework.
Child well-being index shows steady growth
Kazakhstan’s Child Well-Being Index, developed in 2022 by the Committee for the Protection of Child Rights with UNICEF and the Economic Research Institute, continues to reflect the effectiveness of state policy.
In 2024, the national index rose by 2.5 points, reaching 58.6, compared to 56.1 in 2023. The indicator tracks progress in health, education, safety, participation, and material well-being.
