Despite its huge size, Kazakhstan is a country that is still growing. The government is determined to make the country appeal to foreign investors, and they are doing this by encouraging tourism, liberalising property purchase laws and by guaranteeing foreign investments will retain their value. Whilst Kazakhstan certainly inst a country a lot of people would think of moving to, it certainly has a charm that not many – if any – other places possess. The country is generally safe, the political situation is stable and the economy is on the up – and with the recently built oil pipeline and the proposed second line this upturn in fortunes doesn’t look like it will be lost any time soon. The government are also showing they’re savvy by broadening the markets where they receive income from, thus not putting all their eggs in one basket and helping to safeguard the economic future of the nation.

The capital Astana is clearly not the most popular city in the country – that honour falls to the former capital Almaty, which is home to a popular and much-used property market. Prices in the region have been rising steadily for years and current costs are not as cheap as some would hope, though the prices are still not as high as those in Western European countries, for example. There are still bargains to be had in the former capital, and the beautiful city is an ideal place for a second home or somewhere to move to.

Whilst guarantees are not iron-clad that the Kazakh economy will keep up this growth it has experienced recently, the burgeoning oil market is bound to help – of that there is no question. The country is growing on the worldwide stage and the government intend to make Kazakhstan the economic tiger of Central Asia.