Social inequality, poverty and destitution are among the most complex and urgent socio-economic problems of modern society. Poverty is more than a lack of income. It has a number of socio-economic manifestations, including: the opportunity to access social services and social protection measures; the opportunity to express opinions and freedom of choice; the opportunity to have a decent job and other opportunities. People living in poverty face negative attitudes and discriminatory policies and practices.
According to the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2024, about 1.1 billion people live in acute multidimensional poverty, more than half of them are children. Common deprivations include lack of adequate housing, sanitation, electricity, fuel for cooking, proper nutrition, and school attendance. 83.7% of poor people live in rural areas. In all regions of the world, people in rural areas are poorer than people in cities. In absolute terms, there will most likely be more poor people in 2030. According to the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the poverty rate in 2024 was 5.4% in the republic (7.3% in rural areas, 4.2% in urban areas).
From these data, it follows that in a number of regions of the country, ineffective government policies are being implemented aimed at improving the standard of living of the population. Let's ask ourselves why the poverty rate in the Turkestan region is so significant (9.3%), and what causes determine it? The region is located in a zone of sharply continental climate, covering an area of 117,249 square kilometers, with a population of 2,154.3 thousand people (74.9% rural residents) on December 1, 2024. Turkestan region is a predominantly agricultural region. However, from year to year, many agricultural enterprises in the region are in a difficult financial and economic situation, and the mechanisms for conducting business using modern production, management and organization technologies are not effective enough. The big problem of the Turkestan region is the low incomes of the population. According to the results of the third quarter of 2024, the average per capita nominal income was among the lowest in the country at 113,566 tenge (for comparison: 338,663 tenge in Almaty).
To add to the above, until 2025, the poverty level in Kazakhstan was determined on the basis of the regional PM per capita. The so-called "poverty line" was 70% of the PM. On this basis, targeted social assistance was provided. In 2025, the "poverty line" was decoupled from the PM and now the median income is used to calculate it. According to the new order of the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the size of the "poverty line" from January 1, 2025 is 35% of the median income. Under the current conditions, it is obvious that the state needs to reconsider its approaches to the policy of eliminating regional social inequality and step up efforts to reduce poverty, primarily in rural areas, which ensures the country's food security.
Arna BAKTIYAR,
Master of Law Degree
lecturer of the department
theories and histories of State and law,
constitutional and administrative law
