Kazakhstan Life & Culture - The Times Of Central Asia

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Children's Rights

Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia with 24th Place in KidsRights Index

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.

Marriage Age

Average Marriage Age Rises in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan

Twenty years ago, women in Kazakhstan first married at an average age of about 24. Today, the figure is about 25. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan show the same gradual increase, although the pace varies from one country to another. Marriage Ages Rise Gradually in Kazakhstan According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, the average age at first marriage in 2025 was 27.9 for men and 25.3 for women. In 2014, the averages were lower at 27.1 and 24.6, respectively. The gradual rise follows a global pattern. The average age of newlyweds is rising as the number of registered marriages declines. Kazakhstan registered 139,500 marriages in 2019. By 2024, the total had fallen 11.4% to 123,600. Seasonal patterns have remained steady. Most marriages in 2025 were registered during the summer, including nearly 13,000 in July. The bureau tracks both figures each year, and later reports will show whether these trends continue. Urban and Rural Marriage Ages Diverge in Kyrgyzstan In Kyrgyzstan, women first married at an average age of 23.7 in 2024, up from 22.4 in 2000. The nationwide increase was just over a year. Bishkek recorded a much larger change. The average age for first-time brides in the capital rose from 23 in 2001 to 27 two decades later. The increase was nearly four years, compared with just over one year nationwide. Regional differences remain substantial. Women in Batken Region first marry at an average age of 22.7, compared with 25.9 in Bishkek. The gap exceeds three years, showing how the national average combines sharply different local patterns. Men in Kyrgyzstan first married at an average age of 27.6 in 2024. The national average for men was almost four years higher than the figure for women. Annual statistics continue to show wide differences between regions. Marriage Age Is Rising Faster for Uzbekistani Men According to Uzbekistan’s State Committee on Statistics, men first married at an average age of 26.2 in 2024, compared with 21.8 for women. In 2000, the averages were 24.2 for men and 21.4 for women. Over those two decades, the figure for men rose by two years. The increase for women was less than half a year, a much smaller change than in neighboring countries. As a result, the gap between the average ages of men and women at first marriage widened from 2.8 years in 2000 to 4.4 years in 2024. Men are delaying marriage far more than women, and the difference has become a consistent feature of Uzbekistan’s marriage statistics. The trend is unfolding in a country with a young and growing population. As The Times of Central Asia recently reported, Uzbekistan’s 2026 census revealed a larger and younger population than previous estimates had indicated. How Central Asia Compares Internationally People in Central Asia still marry earlier than those in many European and North American countries. In the United States, the average age at first marriage is 30.8 for women and 32 for men. In Norway, it is 36.8 for women and 38.4 for men. Within...

Religion

Opinion: Christian Missions in Central Asia: Religious Freedom and Social Tensions

Central Asia has long been a crossroads of civilizations, cultures, and religions. For more than two millennia, the region has connected East and West, with Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and indigenous belief systems coexisting, interacting, and, at times, competing. Christianity flourished here centuries ago through Nestorian and other Eastern Christian communities, while Russian Orthodoxy endured throughout the Soviet period. Under Soviet rule, religion was heavily suppressed, yet Christianity survived among Russians, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, and other communities that had been deported or resettled across the region. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, decades of official atheism gave way to a religious revival, creating space for a new wave of missionary activity. The principles of Christian missionary work are similar across denominations, with preaching, charity, education, medical assistance, and moral renewal at their core. In practice, however, missionary efforts in the newly independent Central Asian states evolved far beyond religious services. Amid the economic hardship that followed the collapse of the Soviet system, many churches combined evangelism with humanitarian assistance, language courses, youth programs, computer training, sports clubs, and cultural activities. These initiatives proved particularly attractive to young people, students, socially vulnerable groups, and urban residents seeking new educational and social opportunities. Among the five Central Asian republics, Kazakhstan emerged as one of the most favorable environments for Christian missions. During the 1990s, its relatively liberal religious climate, large urban centers, multiethnic society, sizeable Korean diaspora, Russian-speaking environment, and comparatively open legal framework enabled numerous foreign churches to establish seminaries, schools, charitable foundations, and places of worship. South Korean Protestant organizations became especially active. Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal churches initially found a natural base within the Koryo-saram community, but their activities gradually expanded well beyond ethnic Koreans. It is at this point that a more sensitive issue emerges. Missionary churches generally regard religious conversion as a legitimate expression of freedom of conscience. Many Muslim families, however, particularly in rural and traditionally conservative communities, view the conversion of their children as a rupture with family heritage, ancestral traditions, and communal identity. Across much of Central Asia, religion is not merely a matter of personal belief. It is closely intertwined with kinship, ethnic identity, marriage, burial customs, and family authority. As a result, active proselytizing among indigenous youth can provoke strong opposition from relatives and local Muslim communities. The issue reflects the interaction between missionary strategies and social pressures such as limited interfaith dialogue, economic hardship, youth vulnerability, foreign funding, government suspicion, and concerns over cultural continuity. When religious conversion becomes associated with financial assistance, educational opportunities, foreign sponsorship, or improved social mobility, critics may portray it as an attempt to “buy souls,” even when churches describe such activities as humanitarian or charitable work. One of the most serious examples occurred in Tajikistan on October 1, 2000, when bombs exploded during a Sunday service at Sonmin Grace Church, a Korean Protestant church in Dushanbe associated with South Korean missionaries. The congregation had attracted local converts. Several people were killed and dozens...

Healthcare

Kazakhstan’s Al-Farabi University Joins Central Asia’s First Flying Hospital Project

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) has joined a project to create what Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education described as Central Asia’s first flying hospital, a specialized medical aircraft intended to provide healthcare in remote parts of the region. A launch ceremony was held in Almaty last week for the Central Asian Flying Hospital Mission for Ophthalmology and ENT Care. The project uses a C909 aircraft and is being implemented under the global Air Silk Road of Health initiative. The initiative involves KazNU, the Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). COMAC has developed a specialized medical aircraft using the C909 regional jet platform. Passenger versions of the aircraft can carry between 78 and 97 passengers, depending on configuration, while extended-range versions can fly up to 3,700 kilometers. The medical version has a flexible cabin that can be reconfigured for medical teams and emergency care in remote areas. It can also be used for patient evacuation. The aircraft presented in Almaty will provide ophthalmology and ear, nose, and throat services. It is equipped with an operating room and telemedicine systems. It also uses artificial intelligence technology to diagnose eye diseases. The platform is intended to support care from screening and diagnosis through surgery and rehabilitation. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education said the project is being implemented for the first time in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. During the presentation, KazNU and the Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University signed a cooperation agreement to develop medical education and research, as well as professional training. A multilateral agreement was also signed to expand cooperation in ophthalmology between China and Central Asian countries. “The C909 flying hospital mission will give new momentum to cooperation between Kazakhstan and China in medicine, science, and higher education, expanding opportunities for academic mobility, research, and the introduction of innovative medical technologies,” said Bakytzhan Omarov, a board member at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The Air Silk Road of Health project is expected to help introduce advanced medical technologies and support joint research. It is also intended to expand access to high-tech healthcare in Central Asia. The initiative comes as Kazakhstan seeks to expand its scientific and medical research infrastructure. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kazakhstan opened Central Asia’s first brain research institute this summer.

Contemporary Ballet

Kazakhstan’s Astana Ballet Stages a Dance of Gold and Steppe Wind

The Astana Ballet hosted the premiere of Altyn Gul - The Secret of the Golden Tulip, a production that has drawn attention in the art community. In the new performance, archaeology and national mythology meet contemporary choreography in a single stage narrative. The theater’s chief choreographer, Abubakhrieva Mukaram Saidakimovna, known professionally as Mukaram Avakhri, an Honored Worker of Kazakhstan, turned to one of the most recognizable symbols of the Kazakh steppe, the wild tulip, transforming it into a metaphor for memory, continuity, and the search for identity. From the first minutes, the audience was captivated by the beauty of the music, costumes, and dance. A spectacle unfolded on stage, with warriors in red and gold armor marching into battle, followed by beautiful beings of the steppe whose forms seemed to shift between nymphs and flowers. The starting point for the performance was a real archaeological artifact, a gold plaque from the 3rd-2nd centuries BCE depicting a tulip, found in the Tenlik burial mounds. This small object of ancient jewelry became more than a museum discovery. It offered a way to reflect on how natural symbols survive through the ages and remain preserved in a people’s cultural memory. At the center of the story is a master jeweler, a young man named Zerger, who is inspired by the beauty of the steppe flower. The image of the tulip he creates gradually becomes a symbol of beauty, harmony, and the creative power of nature. Yet Altyn Gul is less a historical reconstruction than a philosophical parable. The protagonist’s path unfolds as an inner journey filled with symbolic trials and discoveries, while the tulip accompanying him gradually reveals itself as a sign of renewal, continuity, and the bond between human beings and the world around them. For Avakhri, turning to nature and historical memory was a logical continuation of her artistic direction. In her previous productions, Jusan, Ot Qyz, and The Silk Road, the choreographer had already explored the relationship between cultural heritage and contemporary movement language. Avakhri has said the central image of the steppe tulip symbolizes the fragility and strength of life. She also said the combination of national traditions with classical ballet and contemporary dance was intended to make the performance accessible and meaningful to today’s audience. According to theater director Tair Karatayev, the new production has taken a special place in the Astana Ballet repertoire. Altyn Gul has become an example of how national artistic images can receive a contemporary stage interpretation while preserving their connection to history and cultural heritage. The music for the production was written by Renat Gaissin, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and one of the country’s leading contemporary composers. The libretto was created by Bakhyt Kairbekov, also an Honored Worker of Kazakhstan, and the costumes were designed by Aigerim Altybasarova. The premiere performances were accompanied by the theater’s symphony orchestra under chief conductor Arman Urazgaliyev. Altyn Gul closed the Astana Ballet theater season with an attempt to reinterpret one of the oldest cultural images of...

Nuclear Legacy

Kurchatov: Kazakhstan’s Atomic City Finds New Life After Nuclear Tests

Strong winds, scorching sun, abandoned five-story apartment blocks standing next to occupied homes, crows and horses wandering the streets: this is how Kurchatov appears to visitors today. Once closed to outsiders, the city was the heart of Soviet nuclear science and military power. More than three decades after the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, how does this unique corner of Kazakhstan live now? Construction of the test site began on August 21, 1947. It covered 18,500 square kilometers at the intersection of what are now the Abai, Pavlodar, and Karaganda regions. Two years later, on August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear test here. Soviet nuclear scientists helped create the country’s “nuclear shield,” but it was Kazakhstan that decades later brought the tests to an end. On August 29, 1991, by decree of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Semipalatinsk test site was officially closed. Over 42 years, at least 456 nuclear tests were carried out at the site, affecting more than 1.5 million people. The history of Kurchatov began as a military garrison. Because of its secrecy, the city changed names several times, including “Moscow-400,” “Nadezhda,” and “Bereg.” It later became known as Kurchatov, after Soviet physicist Igor Kurchatov, although for many years it remained better known by its code name: Semipalatinsk-21. The first builders and military personnel lived in extremely harsh conditions. “At first, many lived in dugouts, and the walls froze through completely,” older residents recall. “In winter, hair froze to the beds, and fingers were often frostbitten.” “I came to serve here from Moldova and thought I was going to a regional center. Instead, they sent us into the steppe, to the dugouts. No electricity, no heating, no gas. Cold, mud, wind. But I stayed anyway. I got married and later brought my parents here,” Viktor Bordei, who has lived in Kurchatov for 47 years, told The Times of Central Asia. [caption id="attachment_51250" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Viktor Bordei, a resident of Kurchatov; image: TCA[/caption] For many who served at the test site, their work felt like a matter of honor. “We didn’t think about the consequences,” Bordei admits. “We believed we were strengthening the Soviet Union’s nuclear shield. Nobody spoke about the harm until Nazarbayev announced the damage done to nature and people. Of course, it’s painful to realize we were kept in the dark.” Over time, memories of that period have become intertwined with nostalgia. Former residents recall developed infrastructure, well-stocked stores, and strict order. After the military left, Kurchatov took years to recover, losing both people and housing while preserving the spirit of its unusual past. “I remember how the walls shook during the explosions. I also remember the day the military left. It was frightening, and nobody knew what would happen next. Now it hurts to see abandoned buildings and horses wandering the streets, but I don’t want to leave. The city is changing, and I believe in it,” says local resident Elena Kazachuk, who was born in Kurchatov. Zoya Lapshina...