Islam is the largest religion practiced in Kazakhstan, with estimates of about 74%[1] of the country's population being Muslim. Ethnic Kazakhs are predominantly Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school.[2] There are also small numbers of Shias.[3] Geographically speaking, Kazakhstan is the northernmost Muslim-majority country in the world,[4] and the largest in terms of land area. Kazakhs make up over half of the total population, and other ethnic groups of Muslim background include Uzbeks, Uyghurs and Tatars.[5] Islam first arrived on the southern edges of the region in the 8th century from Arabs. According to the Constitution, The Republic of Kazakhstan proclaims itself as a democratic, secular, legal and social state whose highest values are a person, his life, rights, and freedoms.
Although Kazakhs identify with their Muslim heritage, religious practices are generally very moderate, and displays of religiosity, such as the wearing of the headscarf or daily attendance in mosques, are rare.[6]
According to a survey by Central Asian Affairs, Kazakhs who self-identify as Muslims rose from 79% in 2007 to 93% in 2012, however the share of people praying daily and attending mosque weekly were found to have declined during the same period, from 22.94% to 18.20%.[7] According to another study in 2012, 10% of the Kazakhs practice Islam in its totality and stated youth were frequenting mosques more often."[8] In 2019, there were 2500 mosques in the country, a number which increased 37-fold since the fall of the Soviet Union."[9]