Mortality trends in Kazakhstan: insights from a million of deaths from 2014 to 2022

Temirgali Aimyshev, Gulnur Zhakhina, Sauran Yerdessov, Ruslan Akhmedullin, Dinara Galiyeva, Kuanysh A. Yergaliyev, Antonio Sarría‐Santamera, Yuliya Semenova, Abduzhappar Gaipov

BMC Public Health, 2025

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.1186/s12889-025-23346-3
Data confidence 70 medium
How this score is calculated

It is built from checkable properties of the record itself: whether the article has a DOI, how many independent sources confirmed its data, whether the required fields are filled in, and how recent the latest confirmation is. Disagreement between sources and a missing identifier lower it. A value of 80 or above means the record was published without further checking; 60 to 79 means it is published at reduced confidence, with a manual check advisable. A record verified by an editor by hand is never pushed below 90 by a recalculation. This scores our data about the article, not the article itself.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Kazakhstan's healthcare system and population health have changed significantly between 2014 and 2022, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study analyzes mortality trends during this period to better understand the health challenges and regional differences that have emerged, addressing a gap in comprehensive research. METHODS: We analyzed mortality data from Kazakhstan's Unified National Electronic Health System (2014-2022), calculating age-standardized mortality rates and years of life lost. Regional trends were assessed using linear regression. RESULTS: Overall mortality increased from 550.84 to 678.37 per 100,000 between 2014-2022, with significant regional variations. "Other disorders of the brain" emerged as a leading cause of premature mortality. COVID-19 significantly disrupted mortality patterns in 2020-2021. Mortality rates were consistently higher in males across most age groups, with a sharp increase after age 55, while "other disorders of the brain" emerged as a leading cause of premature mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Kazakhstan faces evolving mortality challenges, with stark regional disparities and a concerning rise in neurological disorders. These findings underscore the need for targeted public health interventions and improved cause-of-death reporting.