Kazakhstan "young capital" drives economic boom in Central Asia

Kazakhstan's capital of Astana, where locals under the age of 30 make up over half the population, has been drawing in residents from all cross the Central Asian country as a region ripe for economic and residential opportunities.

A city in the steppes where futuristic architecture dominate the skyline -- much of the structures in the Kazakh capital were only constructed in the last 30 years, with Astana having only become the nation's capital in 1997.

In mere decades, Astana managed to transform from a piece of sparsely-populated grassland to a regional metropolis.

During nighttime, the unique cityscape changes to something else entirely.

Once named the "youngest capital in the world", it's not just the city itself that's young, but also the people who live in it.

Out of Astana's 1.6 million residents, more than half are below the age of 30.

Even at 11 p.m. on a regular day, young Kazakhs could be seen roaming the capital's streets.

Locals speak Kazakh as their primary language, with Russian being the second language for most.

The capital became the new home for 32-year-old Almaty native Aibarshin after he graduated university.

He expresses his awe at the rapid growth of the city.

I think what amazes me in Astana is how fast the city grew.

I don't only mean territorially or buildings.

It is about the opportunities.

I met here so many friends from Kazakhstan.

We all came here for various reasons, but we all stayed.

I think it is becoming both a financial and business centre, and that's what attracts people from Kazakhstan.

I think there is still a lot of job opportunities for people.

But it's not just Astana where young people make up the majority in the region, as those aged 30 or below constitute around half of the population in all five Central Asian republics.

The younger demographic seems to be driving economic growth in the country, with Kazakhstan's GDP rising from below 200 billion US dollars in 2021 to over 300 billion last year.

Bruce Pang, the Director of Research at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, says all countries in the region have rolled out a series of reforms in recent years that led to economic growth, adding the stability of their growth was compounded by the spending abilities of their young population.