COGITO Talks… From vanishing villages to vital visions: The future of rural Kazakhstan

Rural populations are shrinking. In 11 of the 29 OECD countries included in the OECD Reinforcing Rural Resilience report (https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/reinforcing-rural-resilience_7cd485e3-en.html), rural populations are declining, not only as percentage of national populations but also in absolute numbers. Rural regions close to cities are also exposed to this trend, particularly if their populations tend more easily to move to urban areas. Despite not being an OECD Member country, Kazakhstan is experiencing similar trends. During the Soviet Union, its urban population was 53% but today that percentage has increased to 63%. Now only 37% of its population is living in rural areas, with only 5% of its GDP coming from the agricultural sector. Discussing all things decentralisation, digitalisation and democracy in Kazakhstan, Shayne MacLachlan from the OECD has a conversation with Zhanerke Kochiigit. This conversation took place at the 2025 OECD Latin American Rural Development Conference, Rural-Urban Connections: Pathways to Sustainable Development (https://www.oecd.org/en/events/2025/11/oecd-latin-american-rural-development-conference.html) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Have a listen. Zhanerke Kochiigit is a researcher in Nazarbayev University, located in Astana, Kazakhstan. She works in the Graduate School of Public Policy and is dedicated to studying rural development in northern regions of Kazakhstan, where there is very low population density. Her recent papers include: "Analysis of Migration Processes and Recommendations on Regulation of Internal Migration from Southern to Northern Regions of Kazakhstan" https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345845312_Analysis_of_Migration_Processes_and_Recommendations_on_Regulation_of_Internal_Migration_from_Southern_to_Northern_Regions_of_Kazakhstan?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InByb2ZpbGUiLCJwYWdlIjoicHJvZmlsZSJ9fQ and " Actual aspects of population migration from labor surplus to the labor-deficit regions of Kazakhstan and state regulation of migration processes" https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328552379_Actual_aspects_of_population_migration_from_labor_surplus_to_the_labor-deficit_regions_of_Kazakhstan_and_state_regulation_of_migration_processes. She previously worked at Eli Lilly and Company as a Product Manager. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhanerke-kochiigit-7ab130b9/?originalSubdomain=kz **** To learn more, visit OECD Latin American Rural Development Conference https://www.oecd.org/en/events/2025/11/oecd-latin-american-rural-development-conference.html and the OECD's work on Rural Development https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-issues/rural-development.html. Find out more on these topics by reading Reinforcing Rural Resilience https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/reinforcing-rural-resilience_7cd485e3-en.html and Rural Innovation Pathways https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/rural-innovation-pathways_c86de0f4-en.html. To learn more about the OECD, our global reach, and how to join us, go to www.oecd.org/about/ To keep up with latest at the OECD, visit www.oecd.org/ Get the latest OECD content delivered directly to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletters: www.oecd.org/newsletters