Public libraries are more than just temples of knowledge. They serve as social infrastructures for residents to gather and organize cultural events. That is why their accessibility plays an important role in building a strong community.

Picodi.com’s analysts conducted data analysis to find out which major cities around the world, including Kazakhstan, have the easiest access to public libraries.

Availability of public libraries in Kazakhstan

Nur-Sultan ranks 22nd with 18 state libraries in a city of 1.2 million or 0.15 libraries for every 10,000 inhabitants. The most favorable ratio of the number of libraries to the number of inhabitants is in Kokshetau with 0.78 libraries per 10,000 people.

The top 3 is concluded by Kyzylorda (0.72) and Taldykorgan (0.67). Almaty turned out to be a difficult place to borrow books with only 0.13 libraries available for 10,000 inhabitants.

Out of 39 world cities, Brussels topped the ranking for the most accessible public libraries with 19 libraries for a population of 190,000. Riyadh placed last. The Saudi capital has only 9 libraries for 8.2 million people.