Kazakhstan is a huge landlocked country in Central Asia that produces a lot of oil and natural gas. It is the world’s ninth largest country in terms of land area, encompassing 1,052,100 square miles — about the size of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River. It used to be much poorer than Russia, and 42% of its population died of famine and disease in the 1930s due to communist policies when it was part of the Soviet Union. But today, Kazakhstan’s people live longer than Russians do.
Moreover, maternal and infant mortality are falling, reports the Times of Central Asia:
Kazakhstan’s Health Minister Akmaral Alnazaraeva has announced further reductions in maternal and infant mortality rates, although some regions are showing a troubling reversal of the trend.
Speaking at a recent government meeting, Alnazaraeva attributed the improvements to the adoption of recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. In 2024, maternal mortality declined by 12 percent to 10.1 deaths per 100,000 live births, while infant mortality dropped by 11 percent to 6.88 deaths per 1,000 live births. The positive trend continued into the first half of 2025, with maternal mortality falling by another 10 percent and infant mortality by 26 percent.
The minister noted that clinical protocols in obstetrics and pediatrics have been revised nationwide. Since June 2024, tariffs for obstetric and pediatric services, including childbirth, surgeries, and neonatal care, have been increased. These changes have improved access to expensive medications, reduced the debt burden of medical institutions, and helped attract qualified specialists to the sector.
The Health Ministry also highlighted the expanded role of air ambulance services, which have saved 96 percent of women in labor and their newborns in remote areas.
The snow leopard population has doubled in Kazakhstan, and the saiga antelope has been brought back from the brink of extinction.
Last year, wild horses returned to Kazakhstan after being absent for 200 years.
