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.

The Children of Kazakhstan Concept: Reality and Barriers to Implementation

The 2026-2030 Children of Kazakhstan Concept, approved by the Kazakh government, introduces new standards for the protection of children’s rights. The document is largely based on modern international approaches to social policy. However, its implementation may face a number of systemic barriers characteristic of Kazakhstan’s institutional environment. Honest Acknowledgment of Problems The authors of the concept do not attempt to downplay existing challenges. The document openly recognises serious issues in the field of child protection. In 2024, 2,693 crimes against minors were registered. In 2025, the figure stood at 2,603. Of these, nearly 900 cases involved sexual abuse. Particularly alarming is the fact that 60-70% of such crimes are committed by individuals close to the child, including parents, stepfathers, relatives, or neighbours. Another critical issue is the mental health of adolescents. Kazakhstan remains among the countries with high rates of youth suicide. According to psychologists cited in the Kazakh media, over the past two years, approximately 300 suicides among children have been recorded nationwide, while nearly 600 more adolescents have attempted suicide. The scale of the problem is reflected in the workload of the 111 national contact centre. In 2025, the service received 145,000 calls and 121,000 text messages. The high volume of messages sent via QR codes suggests that many children find it psychologically easier to report abuse in writing than in person. The state also acknowledges shortcomings in the healthcare system. Children’s hospitals face shortages of medical equipment, particularly in intensive care units. The situation is most difficult in remote regions, where insufficient equipment can directly affect children’s chances of survival in emergency situations. Another serious concern is the shortage of specialists. Kazakhstan lacks sufficient numbers of child psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. The deficit is particularly acute in regional areas. At the same time, many parents conceal their children’s psychological problems for fear of social stigma, leading to delayed diagnosis and complicating suicide prevention efforts. Staff Shortages Versus High Standards The concept emphasises early prevention. One of its key instruments is a case-management mechanism involving individual support for families and children by trained specialists. The intention is to shift from crisis response to systematic preventive work. However, the implementation of this model faces serious limitations. The main challenge is the acute shortage of personnel and insufficient levels of professional training among specialists in the field. Independent experts point to systemic weaknesses in the training of psychologists. Many public-sector employees lack the qualifications required to work with adolescents experiencing severe psychological distress. In addition, the professions of school psychologist and social pedagogue remain poorly paid. Experienced specialists often move to the private sector, where salaries can be three to four times higher. Digitalization Outpacing Infrastructure The government is placing a significant emphasis on digital tools. One of the flagship initiatives is the FSM Social system, known as the Digital Family Map. The system analyses dozens of socio-economic indicators and is designed to identify families at risk. However, digitalization is currently outpacing infrastructure development. Analysts caution that digital systems cannot...