Kazakhstan
POPULATION 16,741,519
MUSLIM 63 percent
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN 32 percent
CATHOLIC 3 percent
PROTESTANT 1 percent
OTHER 1 percent
Country Overview
Introduction
The Republic of Kazakhstan is the largest country in Central Asia. It is bordered to the northwest and north by Russia; to the east by China; to the south by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Aral Sea; and to the southwest by the Caspian Sea.
With the second largest population among Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan is also the most ethnically and religiously diverse country in the region. Its religious divisions closely coincide with ethnicity. While Kazakhs, who make up about 53 percent of the population, and members of 23 other ethnic groups are considered Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi tradition, East Slavs (mainly Russians) in the country profess Orthodox Christianity, and Germans and Poles profess Catholicism or Protestantism. In practical terms, however, 10 to 15 percent of Kazakhs—and a larger percentage of Russians—characterize themselves as nonbelievers. Many more are Muslims or Christians only in the nominal sense. No more than 20 to 30 percent of Kazakhs strictly observe the prescriptions of Islam in their everyday lives.
Religious Tolerance
Kazakhstan is a constitutionally secular state. Its constitution guarantees freedom of worship and forbids discrimination on religious grounds.
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