Kazakhstan forecasts 5.4% GDP growth for 2026Kazakhstan's economy is projected to grow by 5.4% in 2026, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin.The minister presented the country's socio-economic development forecast for 2026-2028 to parliament on Wednesday."Under the baseline scenario, real GDP growth is set at 5.4% for 2026, with an average annual growth rate of 5.3% over three years. Nominal GDP is expected to increase from 183.8 trillion tenge in 2026 to 229.8 trillion tenge in 2028, driven by expansion in both the industrial and service sectors," he said.Manufacturing growth is projected to accelerate from 6.2% in 2026 to 6.6% in 2028, supported by the implementation of new investment projects."The three-year forecast also indicates average annual growth of 2.8% in the extractive sector, 3.9% in agriculture, 11% in construction, 10.1% in transport services, and 6.7% in trade. Exports are expected to rise from $77.1 billion in 2026 to $83.7 billion in 2028, while imports are projected to increase from $67.7 billion to $75.2 billion," he said.The government forecasts inflation of 9%-11% for 2026, moderating to an average of 6% for the 2027-2028 period. This comes as the Kazakh economy grew by 6.3% in the first nine months of 2025, following 4.8% growth in 2024. The National Bank of Kazakhstan predicts 2025 GDP growth of 5.5%-6.5%, while international institutions, including the EBRD, IMF, Asian Development Bank, and Eurasian Development Bank, have recently revised their 2025 growth forecasts for Kazakhstan upward to between 5% and 5.7%. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX