SOCIAL PROTECTION AND PENSION ISSUES IN MODERN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The Republic of Kazakhstan pays increased attention to the continuous improvement of the social protection system, as evidenced, for example, by the Social Code that came into force this year. This topic is certainly interesting for analysis, since it is multidimensional, covering both pensions and social services, moreover, according to open data, the proportion of the elderly population in the republic at the beginning of 2023 was 11.4 %, demonstrating an increase of more than by 4 % in just five years. The analysis carried out has already been submitted for discussion during seminars with the participation of the authors of the article. One of the main results of the study was the ability to typify aging in Kazakhstan - the analysis showed that the republic is characterized by aging not «from below», due to low birth rates, but «from above», due to the increase in life expectancy of the elderly population. At the same time, the pension reform helps to reduce the increase in the number of pensioners in Kazakhstan by raising the retirement age. In parallel, one can observe a widening gap between the size of the pension in Kazakhstan and the amount that is sufficient to provide for life. This conclusion paves the way for the following, more specific studies. Also, an important point that this analysis emphasized was the confirmation of the constant development of the digitalization of the social sphere of Kazakhstan. The study of further trends in its development, the identification of strong points and points requiring improvement, can also become a continuation of this article, which determines the paths for future research. Keywords: Social Protection, Pension, Disability, Digitalization, Social Service Provider, Consumer, Social Policy, Income.