Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Iran has remained relatively modest in recent years by the standards of the country’s foreign trade and has been characterised by high volatility. By the end of 2025, bilateral trade totalled USD 430.2 million, compared to USD 340.3 million a year earlier. However, the figure still remains well below the levels seen in the middle of the previous decade, when trade turnover exceeded USD 600 million. Moreover, by the end of January–March 2026, bilateral trade had declined again, falling to USD 90.8 million from USD 129.5 million a year earlier. The decrease amounted to 29.9%.
Kazakhstan’s trade balance with Iran has become significantly less stable in recent years. While in 2015 exports from Kazakhstan exceeded imports by more than eight times, the gap later began to narrow rapidly. In 2023 and 2024, the trade balance even turned negative, as imports from Iran exceeded exports to the country. In 2023, Kazakhstan exported goods to Iran worth just USD 83.1 million, while imports from Iran reached USD 219.7 million. In 2024, exports amounted to USD 123.3 million, compared to imports of USD 217 million. Only in 2025 did Kazakhstan return to a positive trade balance, with exports reaching USD 239.3 million and exceeding imports, which totalled USD 191 million. However, already in January–March 2026, the figures had almost equalised again: exports amounted to USD 46.2 million, while imports stood at USD 44.6 million.
Agricultural products continue to form the backbone of Kazakhstan’s exports to Iran. By the end of January–March 2026, barley remained the largest export category, amounting to USD 33 million, or more than half of all shipments. Kazakhstan also exported animal and vegetable fats and oils (USD 5.6 million), wheat (USD 3.5 million), textile products (USD 880.2 thousand), and rice (USD 56 thousand). As a result, the export structure remains relatively narrow and largely dependent on agricultural products and raw materials.
Imports from Iran appear more diversified. In January–March of this year, Kazakhstan mainly imported beverages (USD 2.8 million), paints and varnishes (USD 1.7 million), detergents (USD 877.6 thousand), cement (USD 617.9 thousand), and petroleum products (USD 605.6 thousand).
