Mortality recovery and stabilization in Kazakhstan, 1995-2001

This paper documents both the extraordinary rise in mortality that accompanied economic deterioration in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the far more tentative recovery. Kazakhstan's multi-ethnic population also makes it possible to identify a large mortality disadvantage for those--especially working-age males--who are not of Kazakh ethnicity. There are also stark regional differences--mortality decline is underway in many areas with substantial economic recovery, while elsewhere there has been no discernable improvement.