Kazakhstan Independence Day
Wednesday, December 16, 2026
In 1920, Kazakhstan. Becomes an Autonomous SSRThe Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic was formed as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, marking the start of formal Soviet rule
History
Kazakhstan declared independence from the Soviet Union on December 16, 1991, following the collapse of the USSR. The territory of Kazakhstan was part of the Russian Empire from the 18th century and later became the Kazakh SSR within the Soviet Union after the 1917 Russian Revolution. During Soviet rule, Kazakhs experienced forced collectivization, cultural suppression, and large-scale settlement by ethnic Russians that altered the demographic composition of the republic. The perestroika reforms of the late 1980s and early 1990s sparked growing nationalist movements. Kazakhstan was the last Central Asian Soviet republic to declare independence, doing so on December 16, 1991, following the failed August Coup in Moscow. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the former Communist Party leader, became Kazakhstan's first president. December 16 is celebrated as Independence Day, commemorating Kazakhstan's emergence as the largest landlocked nation in the world and the significant challenges of nation-building in a multi-ethnic society.
How It's Celebrated
Celebrate by learning more about the occasion, sharing on social media with relevant hashtags, participating in community events, or taking small personal actions that align with the day's theme.