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Karagandy Population

Population · latest official estimate
497,777

Karagandy is the 5th largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 498,000 — 2.4% of the country's 21.2 million people — about as many people as the whole of Brunei. Worldwide it ranks #1103 among 5,279 cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants.

Quick facts

GeoNames · UN WPP
Population
497,777
city proper · GeoNames
Rank in Kazakhstan
#5 of 30
largest cities tracked
World rank
#1103
of 5,279 cities ≥ 100k
Region
Karaganda
first-level division
Status
Regional capital
Elevation
545 m
above sea level
Time zone
UTC+5
Asia/Almaty
Coordinates
49.8°N 73.1°E
Share of country
2.4%
of 21.15M people

Karagandy overview

Updated October 2026
Almaty · 1,977,011Astana · 1,544,142Shymkent · 1,200,000Aktobe · 500,757Taraz · 358,153Kyzylorda · 354,800Oral · 330,000Pavlodar · 329,002Ust-Kamenogorsk · 319,067Semey · 292,780Atyrau · 290,700Turkistan · 227,098Kostanay · 210,000Petropavl · 200,920Temirtau · 170,600Kokshetau · 150,649Aktau · 147,443Ekibastuz · 121,470Taldykorgan · 116,558Zhezqazghan · 104,357Zhanaozen · 103,598Balqash · 81,364Sarqant · 76,919Baikonur · 70,000Satpayev · 69,782Ridder · 52,664Qulsary · 51,216Shchuchinsk · 47,290Stepnogorsk · 46,736Karagandy · 497,777Karagandy

Karagandy (orange) and the other large cities of Kazakhstan

Karagandy lies in Karaganda in Kazakhstan at 49.8°N, 73.1°E, about 545 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Almaty (UTC+5); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.

It is smaller than Aktobe (500,757) and larger than Taraz (358,153). The largest city in Kazakhstan is Almaty with 1,977,011 people; the capital, Astana, has 1,544,142.

The national capital, Astana, is about 193 km away; the nearest large city is Temirtau, 30 km from Karagandy.

Kazakhstan as a whole has a live population of 21,153,677 (+1.1% a year) and ranks #65 of 238 countries — see the Kazakhstan population page for the full statistics and the Kazakhstan atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.

Cities near Karagandy

Within 200 km · straight-line distance
CityDistancePopulation
Temirtau
Karaganda
30 km170,600
AstanaCapital
Astana
193 km1,544,142

Largest cities in Kazakhstan

Top 10 · all 30 →
#CityRegionPopulation
1AlmatyAlmaty1,977,011
2AstanaCapitalAstana1,544,142
3ShymkentShymkent1,200,000
4AktobeAktobe500,757
5KaragandyKaraganda497,777
6TarazZhambyl358,153
7KyzylordaKyzylorda354,800
8OralWest Kazakhstan330,000
9PavlodarPavlodar Region329,002
10Ust-KamenogorskEast Kazakhstan319,067

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Karagandy?

Karagandy has about 497,777 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.

Is Karagandy the capital of Kazakhstan?

No. The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana (1,544,142 people), about 193 km away. Karagandy is the 5th largest city of the country and a regional capital.

How big is Karagandy compared with the rest of Kazakhstan?

Its 497,777 residents are 2.4% of the 21,153,677 people living in Kazakhstan today. Almaty is larger with 1,977,011 people.

Where is Karagandy?

In Karaganda, Kazakhstan, at latitude 49.8 and longitude 73.1, 545 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Temirtau (30 km), Astana (193 km).

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APAGlostats. (2026). Karagandy Population 2026 — Kazakhstan. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/kazakhstan/karagandy/
HTML<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/kazakhstan/karagandy/">Karagandy Population 2026 — Kazakhstan</a> — Glostats

Figures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.

City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.