According to Alim Bayel, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, a high-level delegation from the country will take part in the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), which will be held in Baku from 17 to 22 May 2026. The forum will be held under the theme “Housing for All: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Settlements” and will focus on issues of housing affordability and infrastructure development. For Astana, this agenda is particularly relevant against the backdrop of intensified domestic construction reforms and urban population growth.
According to data from the National Statistics Bureau, as of 1 March 2026, Kazakhstan’s population stood at 20.532 million people, of whom 13.120 million live in urban areas. Thus, the urbanisation rate exceeds 63%, which places increased pressure on housing, transport and public utilities infrastructure.
The growth in construction activity confirms the scale of the changes taking place. In January–February 2026, the volume of construction work increased by 14.5% to reach 495.6 billion tenge (approximately 1.048 million US dollars). The main contribution came from the construction and repair of structures (up 63.4%) and residential buildings (up 30.2%).
