2014 in Kazakhstan

Updated 2026-06-30

The following lists events that happened during 2014 in Kazakhstan.

Incumbents

President: Nursultan Nazarbayev
Prime Minister: Serik Akhmetov (until 2 April), Karim Massimov (from 2 April)

February 11 – The National Bank of Kazakhstan devalued the national currency, the tenge, by approximately 18% against the U.S. dollar, pegging the new exchange rate at 185 tenge per $1. This was one of the most significant economic events of the year, driven by concerns about external competitiveness, deterioration in the current account balance, and depreciation of the Russian ruble.

April 2 – Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov resigned. President Nazarbayev appointed Karim Massimov as the new Prime Minister, a position Massimov had previously held from 2007 to 2012.
April 16 – A Soyuz-U rocket carrying the Egyptian communication satellite EgyptSat-2 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

May 29 – President Nursultan Nazarbayev, together with the heads of Russia and Belarus, signed the treaty forming the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which came into effect on January 1, 2015.

August – The Kazakhstani government underwent a major reorganization. 17 ministries and 9 agencies were restructured into 12 ministries and approximately 30 committees. The Financial Police was abolished, with its responsibilities transferred to the Agency on Civil Service Affairs and Fight against Corruption. The Ministry of Internal Affairs assumed responsibilities from the abolished Ministry of Emergency Situations. New ministries were established, including the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Investments and Development, and the Ministry of National Economy.

November 11 – President Nazarbayev delivered the "Nurly Zhol – The Path to the Future" address, announcing a major economic stimulus program financed by the National Fund (oil fund). The program allocated $3 billion per year for three years toward infrastructure projects including roads, railways, air transportation, and utilities.
November 21 – Kazakh singer Zhanar Dugalova won the Turkvizyon song contest in Kazan, Russia, with her song "Izin Koren," earning 225 points.

December 22 – Kazakhstan renewed its military cooperation with Ukraine, promising vital supplies of coal, following a visit to Kyiv by President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

GDP growth for 2014 was 4.3%, down from 6.0% in 2013, according to the National Bank of Kazakhstan. The slowdown was attributed to weaker external demand, declining oil prices, and regional geopolitical tensions.
Annual inflation was 7.4% (December 2014 versus December 2013), within the target band of 6–8%, but up from 4.8% in 2013, largely due to the February devaluation.
The weighted average exchange rate of the tenge was KZT 179.49 per 1 U.S. dollar for the year, with the year-end rate at KZT 182.35. The tenge depreciated by 18.4% in nominal terms against the U.S. dollar over the year.
International reserves of the National Bank amounted to USD 28.9 billion at year-end, an increase of USD 4.2 billion from 2013.
The National Fund (oil fund) portfolio had a total market value of USD 75.2 billion as of December 31, 2014.

Kazakhstani athletes achieved their best-ever results at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, winning a total of 84 medals (28 gold, 23 silver, and 33 bronze).
Swimmer Dmitry Balandin won three gold medals in the 50m, 100m, and 200m events.
Olga Rypakova continued her success in track and field events.
Almaty submitted a bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics; the city had one remaining competitor (Beijing) by year's end.
In November, Almaty hosted the World Weightlifting Championship, where Kazakhstan placed third overall. Weightlifter Ilya Ilyin became world champion for the fourth time in the -105 kg category, setting a new world record.

A new Law on Road Traffic was adopted in 2014, coming into force on October 20, with revised traffic rules taking effect in 2015.