Pray for: Kazakhstan

Flag for Kazakhstan

Key Stats

Religion & Geography
Category Statistic
Continent: Asia
Capital: Astana
Population: 19,828,165
% Urban: 57.8 %
Population Under 15 Yrs: 28.9 %
Official Language: Kazakh, Russian (used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication")
Languages: 43
Literacy Rate: 99 %
Life Expectancy: 69.4 yrs (166/236)
HDI Ranking: 56 / 189
% Christian: 12.2 %
% Evangelical: 0.7 %
Largest Religion: Muslim
% Largest Religion: 53.7 %
People Groups: 72
Least Reached People Groups: 36
% Unevangelized: 32 %
Persecution Ranking: 48 / 50

Kazakhstan

Title: Kazakhstan

Tier: 1

Type: country

Kazakhstan has abundant natural resources, but too much of this wealth remains in the possession of the powerful elite. Kazakhstan’s first president ruled as an autocrat for nearly 30 years, before anti-government protests prompted his resignation. After significant turmoil and a new president, the country has the opportunity to establish a new course. The new leader may continue to take Kazakhstan beyond its autocratic past, or fall back into those familiar patterns. Pray for the Kazakh people to have leadership that governs as a servant to its citizens, that is free from corruption, and that uses the nation’s vast wealth for the benefit of all.

Kazakhstan

Title: Kazakhstan

Tier: 1

Type: country

Some people say that “to be a Kazakh is to be a Muslim”. Most Kazakhs follow a version of Islam strongly influenced by shamans and indigenous practices. Other Muslim countries invest huge amounts of money to send Muslim missionaries to Kazakhstan. They successfully convert even some ethnic Russians to Islam. After the Soviet Union broke up, the number of mosques grew from 46 (1989) to 2300 (2020)! The government works to keep Islam moderate, and Kazakhstan is the only Central Asian state where Islam is not accorded special status. Pray for freedom from historic spiritual bondages.

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Content taken or adapted from Operation World, 7th Edition (2010) and Pray for the World (2015). Both books are published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.