Bureau of National Statistics
of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan
    Key indicators
    554 900
    As of August 1, 2026, the number of registered legal entities amounted to 554900 units, including 445675 operating legal entities.
    1 660 468
    The number of registered subjects of individual entrepreneurship amounted to 1660468, including 1595909 operating entities.
    2 145 344
    The number of registered small and medium-sized businesses amounted to 2145344 units, including 1979527 operating ones.
    Registered and operating entities by dimension and activity
    as of August 1, 2026
    By dimension Legal entities Subjects of individual entrepreneurship1) Branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities Subjects of small and medium business1)
    registered operating registered operating registered operating registered operating
    Total 554 900 445 675 1 660 468 1 595 909 28 796 21 905 2 145 344 1 979 527
    Small 545 500 436 381 - - 27 659 20 776 2 142 323 1 976 566
    Medium 6 852 6 770 - - 645 641 3 021 2 961
    Large 2 548 2 524 - - 492 488 - -

    *The decrease in the indicator due to the transition of subjects of individual entrepreneurship to a special tax regime for the self-employed, introduced under the new Tax Code from January 1, 2026 (Article 718 of the Tax Code).

    Dynamics of subjects

    Annually, there is an increase in the number of registered legal entities by an average of 4,1%, so over the past ten years (2016-2025) their number has increased from 383850 to 549669 (by 165819 units or 43,2%). At the same time, it should be noted that the main growth occurs due to small legal entities, their number is steadily increasing every year by an average of 4,1%. Unlike small ones, the dynamics of medium and large legal entities is not stable. Over the past decade, against the background of the annual growth in the number of medium and large legal entities, in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023 their number was not significant, but decreased (by 1,4%, 3,1%, 0,7% and 0,8%, respectively).

    Dynamics of subjects
    By dimension 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
    Total 383 850 412 677 433 774 446 687 461 983 481 732 507 238 526 290 536 241 549 669
    Small 374 912 403 862 424 796 437 988 453 343 472 777 497 995 517 123 526 826 540 095
    Medium 6 502 6 432 6 490 6 297 6 235 6 494 6 685 6 689 6 919 6 978
    Large 2 436 2 383 2 488 2 402 2 405 2 461 2 558 2 478 2 496 2 596
    Registered and operating legal entities

    In July, compared to June 2026, there is a slight increase in the number of registered legal entities (by 0,5%), compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, their number increased by 1,3%. At the same time, there is an increase in the number of operating legal entities - by 0,4%, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, their number increased by 4,3%. Since the beginning of the year, by type of economic activity, the largest number of registered legal entities remains in the industry «Wholesale and retail trade; car and motorcycle repair», the share of which as of August 1, 2026. amounted to 26,2%. On the second place – «Construction» (13,6%), on the third – «Provision of other types of services» (10%). Together, the share of these three types of activities is 49,8% of all registered legal entities.

    As of August 1, 2026, the largest number of registered legal entities is in the cities of Almaty (166022 or 29,9%), Astana (104994 or 18,9%), and Shymkent (29341 or 5,3%). The smallest number of registered legal entities falls on the regions of Ulytau (2902 or 0,5%), Abay (8646 or 1,6%) and Zhetisu (8657 or 1,6%).

    Registered legal entities by type of activity and activity
    as of August 1, 2026
    By type of activity Total Of them
    operating including in the process of liquidation
    newly registered active temporarily suspended activities
    Total 554 900 445 675 58 096 191 665 195 914 3 479
    Agriculture, forestry and fisheries 21 611 19 573 2 403 4 869 12 301 91
    Mining and Quarrying 6 671 5 874 1 055 1 127 3 692 40
    Manufacturing industry 28 837 23 737 1 979 9 771 11 987 201
    Supply of electricity, gas, steam, hot water and air conditioning 1 904 1 652 151 501 1 000 13
    Water supply; sanitation, waste collection, treatment and disposal, pollution elimination activities 2 780 2 285 158 869 1 258 33
    Construction 75 382 59 581 7 882 16 718 34 981 901
    Wholesale and retail trade; car and motorcycle repair 145 640 106 730 16 143 44 193 46 394 1 151
    Transport and warehousing 23 245 18 752 1 869 8 097 8 786 162
    Providing of accommodation and food services 11 578 9 206 1 545 3 746 3 915 29
    Information and communication 20 451 16 722 2 577 7 285 6 860 45
    Financial and insurance activities 8 362 6 381 1 502 2 141 2 738 104
    Real estate transactions 27 689 24 012 2 417 13 680 7 915 107
    Professional, scientific and technical activities 36 488 29 718 3 270 13 838 12 610 152
    Administrative and support services activities 26 128 21 468 1 937 10 891 8 640 110
    Public administration and defense; compulsory social security 9 737 9 538 183 9 035 320 24
    Education 31 969 29 512 1 527 21 718 6 267 123
    Healthcare and social services 13 018 11 805 1 091 7 521 3 193 29
    Arts, entertainment and recreation 8 055 6 639 844 2 951 2 844 25
    Provision of other types of services 55 354 42 490 9 563 12 714 20 213 139
    Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies 1 - - - - -
    Registered legal entities by size and form of ownership
    as of August 1, 2026
    By dimension Total Including by forms and types of ownership
    state private total of them foreign
    with the participation of the state (without foreign participation) joint ventures (with foreign participation)
    Total 554 900 25 913 462 899 531 11 124 66 088
    Small 545 500 20 892 458 993 466 10 831 65 615
    Medium 6 852 3 774 2 794 30 169 284
    Large 2 548 1 247 1 112 35 124 189
    Registered and operating subjects of individual entrepreneurship (IE and JV)

    In July, compared to June 2026, there is a slight increase in the number of registered individual entrepreneurs (by 0,2%), compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, their number decrease by 11,4%. At the same time, there is an increase in the number of operating subjects of individual entrepreneurship - by 0,2%, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, their number decreased by 10,5%. Since the beginning of the year, by type of economic activity, the largest number of registered individual entrepreneurs remains in the industry «Wholesale and retail trade; car and motorcycle repair», the share of which as of August 1, 2026 was 38,6%. In second place is «Agriculture, forestry and fisheries» (14,8%), in third place is «Provision of other types of services» (14,1%). Together, the share of these three types of activities is 67,5% of all registered subjects of individual entrepreneurship.

    Registered and operating subjects of individual entrepreneurship by type of activity
    as of August 1, 2026
    By type of activity Total Including those operating:
    registered operating in the form of personal business in the form of a joint venture
    registered operating registered operating
    Total 1 660 468 1 595 909 1 588 200 1 524 431 72 268 71 478
    Agriculture, forestry and fisheries 245 600 238 302 173 437 166 907 72 163 71 395
    Mining and Quarrying 693 606 693 606 - -
    Manufacturing industry 82 118 78 603 82 098 78 584 20 19
    Supply of electricity, gas, steam, hot water and air conditioning 517 480 517 480 - -
    Water supply; sanitation, waste collection, treatment and disposal, pollution elimination activities 2 309 2 238 2 308 2 237 1 1
    Construction 67 756 64 977 67 754 64 976 2 1
    Wholesale and retail trade; car and motorcycle repair 640 897 614 691 640 875 614 674 22 17
    Transport and warehousing 93 911 90 636 93 903 90 629 8 7
    Providing of accommodation and food services 50 263 48 360 50 259 48 356 4 4
    Information and communication 21 788 21 013 21 788 21 013 - -
    Financial and insurance activities 618 567 618 567 - -
    Real estate transactions 83 207 80 751 83 186 80 736 21 15
    Professional, scientific and technical activities 33 455 32 270 33 455 32 270 - -
    Administrative and support services activities 45 416 43 843 45 403 43 831 13 12
    Public administration and defense; compulsory social security 78 77 78 77 - -
    Education 30 782 29 730 30 781 29 730 1 -
    Healthcare and social services 9 566 9 204 9 566 9 204 - -
    Arts, entertainment and recreation 17 470 16 822 17 468 16 820 2 2
    Provision of other types of services 233 975 222 691 233 964 222 686 11 5
    Activities of households employing domestic workers; activities of households producing goods and services for their own consumption 49 48 49 48 - -

    * The decrease in the indicator due to the transition of subjects of individual entrepreneurship to a special tax regime for the self-employed, introduced under the new Tax Code from January 1, 2026 (Article 718 of the Tax Code).

    Registered and operating branches and branches of foreign legal entities

    As of August 1, 2026, the number of registered branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities amounted to 28796 units, including 21905 active ones. The largest number of registered branches and affiliates of foreign legal entities is in the cities of Almaty (3751 or 13%) and Astana (3344 or 11,6%), and in the Turkistan region (1836 or 6,4%). By types of economic activity, the largest number of registered branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities belong to the sectors «Provision of other types of services» (12194 or 42,3%), «Wholesale and retail trade; car and motorcycle repair» (3543 or 12,3%) and «Professional, scientific and technical activities» (2075 or 7,2%).

    Registered and operating branches by size and form of ownership
    as of August 1, 2026
    By dimension Total Including by forms and types of ownership
    state private total of them foreign
    with the participation of the state (without foreign participation) joint ventures (with foreign participation)
    Total 25 022 2 599 21 304 98 578 1 119
    Small 23 924 2 250 20 604 74 548 1 070
    Medium 623 168 422 14 18 33
    Large 475 181 278 10 12 16
    Registered branches of foreign legal entities by size and activity
    as of August 1, 2026
    By dimension Total Of them
    operating including in the process of liquidation
    newly registered active temporarily suspended activities
    Total 3 774 2 141 381 833 927 64
    Small 3 735 2 102 379 800 923 64
    Medium 22 22 1 19 2 -
    Large 17 17 1 14 2 -
    Registered and operating legal entities, branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities with foreign and joint ownership

    As of August 1, 2026, the number of registered legal entities, branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities with a foreign form of ownership increased by 14,2% compared to the corresponding date of the previous year. The number of registered legal entities and branches with joint ownership decreased by 0,9%.

    In terms of types of economic activity, the largest share of registered legal entities, branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities with foreign and joint ownership falls on the sectors «Wholesale and retail trade; car and motorcycle repair» – 34,4%, «Provision of other types of services» – 15,8%, «Construction» – 11,1%.

    Registered and operating legal entities, branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities with foreign and joint ownership by country
    as of August 1, 2026
    Be country Legal entities, branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities
    with foreign ownership with joint ownership
    registered operating registered operating
    Kazakhstan 70 981 53 999 11 702 8 938
    Russia 22 691 17 053 4 741 3 706
    Uzbekistan 12 751 10 607 608 463
    China 10 081 8 298 1 302 1 075
    Türkiye 4 939 3 249 709 462
    Kyrgyzstan 3 135 2 317 386 296
    Azerbaijan 1 641 1 237 210 149
    Ukraine 1 267 920 353 277
    Germany 947 738 464 364
    Belarus 923 723 176 141
    Republic of Korea 873 561 154 98

    ** Top 10 countries by the largest number of registered legal entities, branches and branches of foreign legal entities.

    Registered and operating small and medium-sized businesses

    As of August 1, 2026, the number of operating SMEs decreased by 8% compared to the corresponding date of the previous year. In the total number of operating SMEs, the share of individual entrepreneurs was 68,5%, legal entities of small business – 19,2%, peasant or farm enterprises – 12,1%, legal entities of medium business – 0,1%.

    In terms of types of economic activity, the largest share of registered small and medium-sized businesses falls on the sectors «Wholesale and retail trade; car and motorcycle repair» – 36,4%, «Agriculture, forestry and fisheries» – 12,8%, «Provision of other types of services» – 12,5%.

    Registered and operating small and medium-sized businesses
    as of August 1, 2026
    By region Registered Operating
    Republic of Kazakhstan 2 145 344 1 979 527
    Abay 52 988 50 012
    Akmola 61 087 57 828
    Aktobe 83 055 77 562
    Almaty 150 162 135 485
    Atyrau 61 338 57 393
    Batys Kazakhstan 57 346 52 648
    Zhambyl 107 387 101 251
    Zhetysu 61 283 58 658
    Karagandy 103 093 94 743
    Kostanay 62 933 59 427
    Kyzylorda 61 564 59 380
    Mangystau 74 280 70 759
    Pavlodar 58 959 54 184
    Soltustik Kazakhstan 35 954 32 864
    Turkistan 203 020 200 195
    Ulytau 17 204 16 348
    Shygys Kazakhstan 62 255 57 176
    Astana city 274 678 246 547
    Almaty city 416 163 363 801
    Shymkent city 140 595 133 266

    * The decrease in the indicator due to the transition of subjects of individual entrepreneurship to a special tax regime for the self-employed, introduced under the new Tax Code from January 1, 2026 (Article 718 of the Tax Code).

    Glossary

    Individual entrepreneurship - an independent, initiative activity of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, kandas, aimed at obtaining net income, based on the property of individuals themselves and carried out on behalf of individuals, at their risk and under their property responsibility. Individual entrepreneurship is carried out in the form of personal or joint entrepreneurship.

    Personal entrepreneurship - carried out by one individual independently on the basis of property belonging to him by the right of ownership, as well as by virtue of another right that allows the use and (or) disposal of property.

    Joint entrepreneurship - carried out by a group of individuals (individual entrepreneurs) on the basis of property belonging to them on the basis of common ownership, as well as by virtue of another right that allows joint use and (or) disposal of property.

    Categories of business entities - depending on the average annual number of employees and average annual income, business entities are classified into the following categories: "subjects of small" business, including micro-entrepreneurship entities; subjects of medium business; subjects of large business. For the purposes of state statistics, only the criterion of the average annual number of employees is used.

    Principal type of activity - a type of activity, the added value of which exceeds the added value of any other type of activity carried out by an economic entity;

    Secondary type of activity - a type of activity, in addition to the main one, which is carried out with the aim of producing products (goods and services) for third parties.

    Methodological explanations

    All presented indicators are based on the Statistical Business Register, which contains information on legal entities, branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities, as well as individual entrepreneurs that have been registered or re-registered with the registration authorities.

    The proposed tables show the number of registered and operating legal entities, branches and subsidiaries of foreign legal entities, individual entrepreneurs, as well as small and medium-sized businesses by size, by form of ownership, by region and type of activity.

    The types of activities are presented in accordance with the current General Classifier of Types of Economic Activities (GCTEA). Entities carrying out several types of activities are accounted for by the main type that provides the greatest increase in value added.

    Operating entities in the Statistical Business Register include:

    • entities currently engaged in economic activity, ie. active;
    • newly registered and not yet engaged in economic activity;
    • entities that temporarily suspended their activities.

    In accordance with the "Classifier of the dimension of legal entities, branches and representative offices, as well as individual entrepreneurship entities by the number of employees", 3 classes of entities are provided for in dimension, depending on the average annual number of employees:

    • small (up to 100 people);
    • medium (from 101 to 250 people);
    • large (over 250 people).

    Legal entities with branches are taken into account taking into account the headcount of all its branches.


    Release responsible:
    Department of Statistical Registers and Classifications
    Department Director:
    E. Bekberdiev
    Теl. +7 7172 74-90-58
    Executor:
    D. Toleugali
    Теl. +7 7172 74-97-95
    E-mail: d.toleugali@aspire.gov.kz
    Address:
    010000, Astana
    Mangilik el avenue, 8
    House of Ministries, entrance 4