Depopulation in rural areas of the North Kazakhstan region: social, economic problems and regulatory mechanisms

There are very few studies that have determined the causes of depopulation in rural areas of Kazakhstan and the North Kazakhstan region (NKR). Purpose of the study – to study the causes of the phenomenon of depopulation in rural areas of the NKR, determine its social and economic consequences and propose regulatory mechanisms. To determine the causes of the depopulation process in rural areas of the North Kazakhstan region and propose regulatory mechanisms, methods of empirical, hypothetical, scientific abstraction, dynamic analysis, synthesis, comparative analysis, and systems approach were used. The article provides an in-depth analysis of the rate of natural increase (loss) in the population of Kazakhstan. Having divided the population of the rural areas of the NKR into age groups, we determined which age category was decreasing and put forward a hypothesis about what they wanted. The Government of Kazakhstan has developed and continues to develop various programs for developing rural areas and population growth in the Northern region. However, the coefficient of natural increase (loss) of the population of the North Kazakhstan region has a negative value. The study results showed that the population aging rate in rural areas of this region is intensive. The government must identify groups and target areas that require support measures, taking into account the situation with specialization, labor potential, territorial characteristics, and age characteristics of the areas of the region.