Kazakhstan Strengthens Public Financial Management through the 2025 PEFA Assessments
Authors: Salamat Kussainova (World Bank), Aliya Kim (World Bank), Elbek Yusupov (Asian Development Bank), Gennadiy Rau (Asian Development Bank), Shynar Jetpissova (World Bank), Maxut Molynbay (World Bank)
Country: Kazakhstan
Assessment year: 2025
Assessment types: Central Government PEFA (Summary of Scores) and Climate-Responsive PEFA (Summary of Scores)
Partners: Government of Kazakhstan, World Bank, Asian Development Bank
Kazakhstan has completed and published the 2025 Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessments, covering both the Central Government PEFA and a Climate-Responsive PEFA. Together, the assessments provide an independent and internationally recognized diagnostic of how Kazakhstan’s public financial management (PFM) systems function, how they have evolved since the previous assessment in 2018, and where further improvements can be prioritized. A PEFA Climate assessment was conducted for the first time in the country.
Strong country ownership and inclusive engagement
The 2025 PEFA assessments were conducted through close collaboration between the Government of Kazakhstan, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank, with broad engagement across government institutions. The Ministry of Finance led the process, working closely with the Ministry of National Economy, the Supreme Audit Chamber, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Budget and Finance Committee of the Mazhilis (lower house of parliament), the Administration of the President, and numerous sectoral ministries, agencies, and state-owned enterprises.
High-level commitment and sustained institutional engagement supported constructive technical dialogue and coordination throughout the assessment.
Progress since 2018
The 2025 PEFA assessment confirms that Kazakhstan has strong PFM fundamentals. Core systems for budget execution, treasury operations, revenue administration, and internal control are reliable, well institutionalized, and supported by robust information technology platforms.
Compared with the 2018 assessment, Kazakhstan has demonstrated clear and measurable progress. Improvements are evident in budget credibility, public access to fiscal information, internal and external audit, and fiscal risk analysis. The share of indicators rated at the highest level (“A”) increased from 16 percent to 39 percent, while 94 percent of all indicators were rated “C” or higher, representing the baseline level of performance. These results reflect sustained reform efforts, strengthened institutional capacity, and continued alignment with good international practice.
At the same time, the assessment identifies areas requiring further attention, including medium-term budgeting, debt management, public investment management, procurement practices, and aspects of budget transparency. These findings provide a clear and evidence-based foundation for prioritizing future reforms.
Integrating climate considerations into public financial management
A notable feature of the 2025 exercise is Kazakhstan’s completion of a Climate-Responsive PEFA. This assessment provides a forward-looking perspective on how PFM systems can better support climate-related objectives, manage fiscal risks, and contribute to long-term sustainability.
Rather than proposing a parallel system, the Climate PEFA examines how existing PFM tools—such as budgeting, public investment management, and fiscal risk analysis—can be adapted to incorporate climate considerations more systematically. The results help identify entry points for strengthening the link between climate objectives and fiscal decision-making.
Transparency and use of PEFA results
With the consent of the relevant authorities, both PEFA reports have been published on the PEFA website, reinforcing Kazakhstan’s commitment to transparency and open access to information. Publication enables informed dialogue among government institutions, oversight bodies, Parliament, development partners, and the public.
The Government of Kazakhstan plans to use the 2025 PEFA findings as a key input into updating its Public Financial Management Strategy and developing a prioritized and sequenced PFM Action Plan. In this way, the PEFA assessments are being used as a management and reform-planning tool, supporting informed decision-making and reform sequencing rather than serving as a compliance exercise.
Dissemination and capacity building
As part of efforts to broaden understanding and practical use of the PEFA findings, the results of the 2025 PEFA assessments were presented at the Taldau School of Analytics on January 31, 2026, following an invitation from the Apparatus of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. The session brought together government officials, analysts, and practitioners working on public finance and economic policy, providing an opportunity to discuss how PEFA diagnostics can inform evidence‑based policymaking, fiscal analysis, and public financial management reform. The discussion highlighted the value of PEFA as a practical tool for strengthening analytical capacity and supporting informed dialogue on PFM performance and reform priorities.
The session was held at the invitation of the Apparatus of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan and focused on the use of PEFA as a tool for strengthening fiscal analysis and public financial management reforms.
Looking ahead
Kazakhstan enters the next phase of PFM reform with functioning systems, capable institutions, and a demonstrated ability to implement complex reforms. The 2025 PEFA assessments provide a strong analytical basis for consolidating recent gains and addressing remaining challenges in a strategic and coordinated manner.
The PEFA Secretariat, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank will continue to support Kazakhstan as it translates the assessment findings into concrete reforms and strengthened public financial management outcomes.
Press-release: https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/minfin/press/news/details/1151886?lang=en
Video: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUI5jVhjYtJ/
Video reel: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1JSM5xnArZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
