Abstract
The study was carried out within the framework of targeted funding of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Development of the concept and mechanisms of balanced territorial development of the economy and society of Kazakhstan." Methods - abstract-logical, monographic, graphical, comparative and cluster analysis. Results - in order to compare the living standards of rural areas of the country's regions, grouping of regions was carried out with justification of such indicators as growth rate of the number of rural residents; the share of the employed and self-employed in the total rural population; villagers' income; proportion of residents whose material well-being is below the subsistence level; share of expenses for food products and paid services. The results of the conducted cluster analysis are presented and groups of regions with similar living conditions, social security and characteristic problems are identified, which makes it possible to determine the main directions of regional policy for improving living standards in the countryside for each of them. Conclusions - the authors have developed recommendations for the implementation of measures aimed at increasing the level of livelihoods in rural areas that are of interest to regional and local government agencies, labor and social protection authorities in Kazakhstan, preparation of policy documents to improve the socioeconomic situation of rural residents.