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.