Service-sector statistics usually tell us which industries are growing fastest. A more revealing question is who is actually earning the money. Data from Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics for the first quarter of 2026 suggest that the country’s service economy has effectively split into two distinct growth models.
The first revolves around the corporate sector. Here, large enterprises primarily serve other businesses. Computer programming and related services generated KZT 425.6 billion in revenue, with enterprises accounting for KZT 400.9 billion of that total. In information services, companies generated KZT 231.1 billion out of KZT 240.8 billion. Their dominance was even more pronounced in architecture and engineering services, where they accounted for KZT 193.0 billion of a KZT 197.3 billion market. Similar patterns can be seen in security and investigation services, where enterprises generated KZT 131.4 billion out of KZT 133.5 billion, and in employment services, where they accounted for KZT 99.7 billion of KZT 101.5 billion. This is an economy built on large contracts, specialized expertise, and business-to-business services.
Alongside it exists a second economy, one that receives far less attention in official reports. It is driven by individual entrepreneurs operating closest to end consumers. In other personal services, sole proprietors generated KZT 151.4 billion out of a total market of KZT 209.9 billion. In the repair of computers, household appliances, and personal goods, entrepreneurs accounted for KZT 13.5 billion of KZT 19.5 billion. Even in Kazakhstan’s largest service market – real estate – individual entrepreneurs generated KZT 211.1 billion out of KZT 640.4 billion. They also accounted for KZT 45.6 billion in rental and leasing activities and KZT 26.2 billion in advertising and market research services.
At first glance, these figures belong to unrelated industries. Together, however, they reveal a clear division of roles within the economy. Companies largely serve businesses, while entrepreneurs serve households. One group builds the infrastructure that allows the economy to function; the other meets the everyday needs of millions of consumers. That is why the largest service industries differ so significantly in their internal structure. Real estate, with a market size of KZT 640.4 billion, programming at KZT 425.6 billion, information services at KZT 240.8 billion, and sports, recreation, and entertainment at KZT 205.9 billion are not simply large sectors. They represent fundamentally different ways of generating income and employment.
As the service economy expands, understanding who creates value becomes just as important as measuring the size of the market itself. The data suggest that the resilience of Kazakhstan’s service sector increasingly depends on two complementary forces: a corporate sector that provides scale and an entrepreneurial sector that delivers flexibility and proximity to consumers.
This article was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
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