Аннотация
Regional differentiation of social protection remains one of the key problems of ensuring balanced socio-economic development and reducing inequality. The aim of the study is to assess inter-regional differences in the level of social protection in Kazakhstan and to determine the contribution of the level of payments and coverage of the population to the formation of these differences. The empirical base consists of official data from the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the period 2014–2024, covering 17 regions. The research methodology includes the standardization of indicators (Z-score), their time averaging, the construction of an integral index of social protection, cluster analysis with the determination of the optimal number of clusters based on Gap Statistical, as well as multidimensional scaling using Euclidean metrics. The results showed the presence of stable regional differentiation: the values of the integral index range from –0,68 in the North Kazakhstan region to 0,95 in the Turkestan region. High values were also recorded in the East Kazakhstan region (0,72) and Almaty (0,69). Cluster analysis revealed five groups of regions that differ in the combination of payment levels and coverage, which confirms the heterogeneity of the functioning of the social protection system. The results show that an increase in payments has a more significant impact on the level of social protection than an expansion of coverage with a low level of funding, which should be taken into account when shaping regional social policy.