The incidence of cancer has risen in Kazakhstan’s cities, while rural areas have seen a decline, according to Energyprom.kz, which cited data from the Ministry of Health.
In 2024, cancer incidence in urban areas reached 239.2 cases per 100,000 people, up from 230 the previous year. The highest rates, exceeding the national average, were recorded in the Karaganda region (353.5 per 100,000), Kostanay region (352.7), East Kazakhstan region (349.4), and Abay region (302.4).
Environmental factors are believed to contribute. Karaganda, the hub of Kazakhstan’s coal and metallurgical industries, was ranked the world’s third most polluted city in 2024, according to the World Air Quality Report by IQAir.
By contrast, cancer incidence in rural areas decreased to 147.1 per 100,000 people in 2024, down from 173.8 in 2023.
Regional Data
The total number of cancer patients in Kazakhstan reached 230,900 in 2024, an increase of 12,800, or 5.8%, compared to the previous year.
- Almaty, the country’s largest city, recorded the highest number of patients: 34,200. However, its incidence rate per 100,000 people was slightly below the national average.
- Karaganda region ranked second with 21,400 patients.
- Astana followed with 16,800.
In 2024, 41,300 people in Kazakhstan were diagnosed with cancer for the first time. The largest numbers of new cases were in Almaty (5,200), Karaganda region (3,800), and Astana (3,000).
Medical statistics also showed that the rate of primary diagnoses declined slightly, from 208.6 to 204.8 per 100,000 people.
Kazakhstan in Regional Contex
Within Central Asia, Kazakhstan has the highest cancer incidence, followed by:
- Kyrgyzstan – 86 per 100,000
- Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – 74.1
- Tajikistan – 32.1
The cancer mortality rate in Kazakhstan also rose in 2024, from 65.1 to 68 deaths per 100,000 people.
Measures to Combat Cancer
To expand treatment access, Kazakhstan has launched domestic production of oncological drugs. In October 2024, Swiss pharmaceutical company F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., in partnership with Nobel Almaty Pharmaceutical Factory JSC, began producing three biotechnological medicines in Almaty for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form affecting up to 20% of breast cancer patients in Kazakhstan.
Each year, around 5,000 new cases of breast cancer are registered in the country, with about 1,200 resulting in death.
