Kazakhstan's trade surplus rises 21.7% to $8.9 bln in H1

ASTANA. Aug 17 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's trade surplus rose 21.7% year-on-year in H1 2026 to $8.87 billion.

The National Statistics Bureau said exports rose 8.6% to $40.33 billion, while imports grew 5.4% to $31.46 billion. Overall trade grew 7.2% to $71.792 billion.

Kazakhstan's exports were dominated by crude oil and petroleum products (46.5%), refined copper and copper alloys (7.1%), copper ores and concentrates (5.1%), radioactive chemical elements and isotopes (3.7%) and ferroalloys (2.7%).

Key imports included passenger cars and other motor vehicles (3.2%), telephones (2.7%), pharmaceutical products (2.5%), petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons (2.5%), and electric generators and rotary converters (2.3%).

Trade with Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states totaled $15.17 billion in January-June, up 8.7% year-on-year. Exports to the EAEU fell 3.5% to $4.56 billion, while imports rose 15% to $10.61 billion.

Russia accounted for the largest share of Kazakhstan's EAEU trade at 87.2%, followed by Kyrgyzstan (8.4%), Belarus (4.1%) and Armenia (0.3%).

Kazakhstan's top export partners were China (18.6%), Italy (17.3%), Russia (8.6%), Turkey (8%), the Netherlands (6.4%) and France (5.7%).

Its top import partners were Russia (30.9%), China (29.1%), Germany (4.8%), the United States (4.2%), South Korea (2.5%) and Turkey (2.2%).