The Ministry of Culture of Kazakhstan has summed up the year’s results, highlighting key achievements in the development of the country’s creative industries. The launch of the Creative Industries Development Corporate Fund marked a new stage in state support for the creative sector. The fund will focus on talent discovery, project development, and promoting Kazakh creative products in international markets. A modern showroom will operate on its premises, allowing creators in animation, digital content, and other fields to present their work.
The fund will be financed through 3% of revenues from the national lottery operator, allocations from the republican budget with gradual reductions, as well as sponsorship and charitable contributions, ensuring sustainable long-term support.
Over the past year, investment in creativity, arts, and entertainment grew by more than 30%, while exports of creative products exceeded $250 billion. The value added of the creative sector surpassed $2 billion.
Creative industry entities benefit from tax incentives, including exemptions from income tax, corporate tax, and VAT, paying a single tax of 2–4%, while legal entities pay 8%. Following these measures, the number of creative businesses and employees increased by 15%, reaching 46,667 SMEs with 143,000 people employed.
Key sectors include IT and game development, film and animation, architecture and fashion, photography, and crafts. The highest concentration of creators is in Almaty, Turkistan, and Karaganda regions, as well as Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent.
Creative hubs have now opened in all 20 regions of Kazakhstan, completing a two-year rollout. Regional authorities were granted the right to establish such centers using local budgets.
The development of creative industries is a strategic priority set by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. In 2025, a law defining the foundations of creative industries development was adopted, along with rules for state support. Kazakhstan has also promoted the sector internationally, proposing a CIS Creative Industries Association and announcing the Creative Industries Forum of the Turkic World, to be held in Almaty in 2026.
International recognition followed these reforms. In the Global Innovation Index, Kazakhstan rose from 65th to 61st place in the “Creative Industries and Services” category, compared to 90th place two years ago.
