Nearly 1 million Kazakhs have resettled in Kazakhstan since 1991
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 16 January 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Nearly 1 million Kazakhs have resettled in Kazakhstan since 1991, 16 January 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54e1a3a824.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 16, 2015
Kazakhstan's government says nearly 1 million ethnic Kazakhs have returned or moved to Kazakhstan since it gained independence in the Soviet collapse of 1991.
In an announcement on January 16, the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development said that as of the start of this year, 952,882 "Oralman" had resettled in Kazakhstan since the government launched a repatriation program shortly after independence.
An Oralman, or Returnee, is an ethnic Kazakh who lived outside Kazakhstan but chose to return or move there after Kazakhstan became a country.
About 4 million ethnic Kazakhs traditionally live outside the borders of modern Kazakhstan, mainly in neighboring countries.
The ministry said 61.5 percent of those who have resettled in Kazakhstan so far came from Uzbekistan, 14.3 percent from China, 9.3 percent from Mongolia, 6.8 percent from Turkmenistan, and 4.6 percent from Russia.
The Oralman make up some 5.5 percent of Kazakhstan's total population, which the government recently announced had reached 17.4 million.
Based on reporting by Kazinform, KazTAG and Interfax
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
