KidsRights Foundation is an Amsterdam-based international children’s rights organization founded in 2003. Working with Erasmus University Rotterdam, it produces the annual KidsRights Index, which compares how countries uphold children’s rights using United Nations data. The 2026 edition covers 194 countries.
Kazakhstan ranked 24th worldwide in the 2026 index. It was the only country from Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the top 25. Its overall score was 0.797.
Its highest result was in protection, with a score of 0.944. Health followed at 0.900. Kazakhstan scored 0.847 for life and 0.765 for education. The enabling environment for children’s rights received 0.583.
Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia
The remaining Central Asian countries ranked much lower. Turkmenistan placed 75th, followed by Kyrgyzstan in 82nd. Tajikistan was 92nd, and Uzbekistan 96th. Kazakhstan finished 51 places above Turkmenistan and 72 above Uzbekistan.
The index does not explain the policy choices behind each ranking. It does show wide differences in children’s health and education across Central Asia. Protection and the legal framework for children’s rights also vary.
Kazakhstan in the Global Ranking
Luxembourg topped the index, followed by Iceland. Monaco placed third. Germany and Norway completed the top five.
The Netherlands fell to 22nd after ranking in the top 10 four years ago. The 2026 report linked the decline to rising childhood obesity and higher child mortality.
Children’s Rights Under Pressure
Conflict-related sexual violence against children rose by 35% from 2024, according to the report. More than one in five children now live within range of armed conflict, which can disrupt schooling and healthcare while forcing families from their homes and driving more children into poverty.
The 2026 index added overweight and obesity to its health indicators. KidsRights said the share of children aged 5 to 19 who are overweight or obese now exceeds the share who are underweight.
Where Kazakhstan Scores Lower
Kazakhstan’s lowest result was the 0.583 score for the enabling environment for children’s rights. This domain examines whether laws and budgets support the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It also considers data collection and cooperation between state institutions and civil society.
The score was well below Kazakhstan’s results for protection and health. It points to areas where the country can improve despite its high overall ranking.
The regional gap also shows why Central Asia should not be treated as a single policy model. Neighboring countries recorded very different results despite shared geography.
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is using the digital tenge to track some forms of public spending. The KidsRights Index does not assess the currency project, so no direct link can be drawn between it and Kazakhstan’s ranking.
