Kazakhstan Advances to 34th Place in the 2025 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking
Swiss city, Zurich, remains on top as the most competitive location globally, according to the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) 2025 ranking. Kazakhstan, however, climbs one spot to 34th position, surpassing Japan, Kuwait, and Portugal.
Credit: The Astana Times
The ranking tabulates four principal factors: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure. Kazakhstan boasts significant strides in business efficiency (from 28th to 20th) and infrastructure (from 49th to 44th).
The Central Asian nation leads various metrics, such as youth employment, female labor force participation, GDP growth, and low industrial electricity prices. Nevertheless, the IMD highlights areas requiring improvement, including telecom investment, inflation control, healthcare funding, and high-tech industry development.
Long-term, systemic solutions are proposed to address these issues. For instance, expanding telecom infrastructure and modernizing digital connectivity demands increased investment in telecommunications, possibly through foreign direct investment (FDI) and public-private partnerships. Inflation control necessitates implementing sound macroeconomic policies and monetary controls, while improving the financing model for healthcare could call for budget reallocations, efficiency improvements, and private sector engagement.
The high-tech industry development requires fostering innovation, research and development, and constructing an ecosystem friendly to high-tech industries. This may encompass enhancing workforce skills, incentivizing technology companies, and supporting startups in cutting-edge sectors.
Kazakhstan's ranking in the 2025 Global Cost of Living Index places it at 114th out of 139 countries, with prices roughly 73.4% lower than in New York City. Additionally, Kazakhstan has been forging partnerships with countries like India in areas of digital cooperation, infrastructure investment, and critical minerals to boost its competitiveness, particularly in technology and industry sectors.
In essence, Kazakhstan's roadmap to strengthening global competitiveness hinges on structural reforms and strategic investments in telecom, monetary policies for inflation control, healthcare system funding reform, and a proactive development of the high-tech industry, backed by international collaborations and sustained government commitment.
Kazakhstan's business efficiency has improved significantly, moving from 28th to 20th position, and it has made strides in infrastructure as well, climbing from 49th to 44th, according to the IMD 2025 ranking. In the realm of finance, strategic investments in telecom, monetary policies for inflation control, healthcare system funding reform, and a proactive development of the high-tech industry are key elements of Kazakhstan's plan to boost competitiveness.
