The 2022 National Cyber Security Index, which measures the readiness of national governments to prevent cyber threats and manage cyber incidents globally, ranked Kazakhstan 78th out of 176 countries, with a security index of 48.05% and digital development at 60.18%, QazMonitor reports.
The report evaluates countries based on three main categories – the Global Cybersecurity Index, the ICT Development Index, and Network Readiness. These categories are further divided into twelve subcategories.
Kazakhstan achieved the following indicators:
protection of personal data – 100%
e-Identification and trust services – 89%
education and professional development – 89%
cyber threat analysis and information – 60%
cyber security policy development – 57%
cyber incident response – 50%
fight against cybercrime – 44%
cyber crisis management – 20%
contribution to global cybersecurity – 17%
protection of essential services – 17%
military cyber operations – 0%
protection of digital services – 0%
Belgium, Lithuania, and Estonia secured the top three spots in the National Cyber Security Index, while Kazakhstan's neighbors Russia and China scored 71.43% and 51.95%, respectively. The Kyrgyz Republic scored 37.66%, and Uzbekistan scored 36.36%.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, cybersecurity service volume in Kazakhstan reached ₸2.9 billion in Q1 of 2023, marking a 41% increase y/y.
Small companies provided the most services, totaling ₸1.6 billion, reflecting a 45.7% year-over-year increase. Large companies provided services worth ₸1.3 billion, a 35.8% increase from the previous year, while medium-sized companies contributed ₸482,400. Private companies accounted for ₸1.6 billion in services, and state companies for ₸1.3 billion.
In terms of regions, companies in Astana provided the largest number of cybersecurity services totaling ₸1.4 billion, an increase of 40.8% compared to the previous year's ₸989.8 million. Almaty ranked second with ₸1.1 billion, showing a growth of 17.5%. The Karagandy region followed with ₸94.4 million, a significant increase from the previous year's 7 million tenge. The Turkistan region had the lowest figure at ₸126,500.
The Abay, Akmola, Almaty, West Kazakhstan, and Ulytau regions did not provide any services in the sector.
