Photo: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels
Official statistics in Kazakhstan will remain free, but data prepared to order could become more expensive. Fees charged by the Information and Computing Centre are set to rise by an average of 131.05% from January 1, 2027, the Bureau of National Statistics said (inbusiness.kz). The additional costs will apply to requests that require extra work by specialists. The bureau has no plans to offer discounts to small and medium-sized businesses, research institutes or media outlets.
Which data will you have to pay for?
Fees apply to statistical or analytical information outside the official publication schedule if preparing it involves additional costs.
Figures already available under the publication schedule are free. If a request requires separate data processing, that work is charged at the rates set by the Information and Computing Centre, or ICC, an enterprise overseen by the bureau.
How much could fees rise?
According to the bureau, the average increase will be 131.05%. That means fees will more than double. The stated increase in the hourly cost of specialists’ work is 3,545.19 tenge, excluding value-added tax, or VAT.
This amount is the increase, rather than the full hourly cost. The average percentage increase also does not mean that the price of every order will rise by the same proportion.
The bureau says the review is needed because the previous rates were based on actual costs for 2013. Inflation for 2024 was factored into the new rates.
When will the new fees take effect?
The revised fees are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. Before then, the draft order must undergo public consultation and the other required procedures. The date therefore remains provisional.
The fees were last reviewed and approved on August 29, 2024.
Which information will remain free?
The bureau explained that Article 26 of the Law on State Statistics guarantees equal, simultaneous and free access to official statistics and methodology. The methodology explains how the figures are collected and calculated.
“Information covered by the official statistical information release schedule remains freely available,” the bureau said.
This information will continue to be published on the bureau’s websites and the e-government open data portal. The increase in ICC fees does not introduce charges for access to these publications.
Will small businesses, research institutes and media outlets get discounts?
No special discounts are planned for small and medium-sized businesses, research institutes or media outlets. The bureau cited Article 193 of the Entrepreneurial Code.
The bureau explained that ICC services fall under a state monopoly. Individual or differentiated rates that differ from the approved rates are prohibited for these services. It therefore has no plans to introduce a special reduced rate for these groups.
Where will revenue from paid services go?
Revenue from paid services is used to fund the ICC’s operations. The bureau itself is funded from the national budget and earns no revenue from its activities.
Upgrades to the bureau’s digital platforms are funded through separate budget programmes. The bureau says these upgrades are unrelated to the review of ICC fees.
Put simply
If you need published official figures, you will not have to pay for them. A fee may apply to information prepared in response to a custom request, with the increase in rates currently planned for the start of 2027.
Before placing an order, check the bureau’s free publications. If the data you need is unavailable, ask how much it will cost to prepare the information and which rate applies.
