Born on July 6, 1940 in Chemolgan village in the Kaskelen District in the Almaty Region.

Yt yas higher technical education. He graduated from the Higher Technical College at the Karaganda Iron and Steel Works and the Higher Party School at the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee. In 1992, he defended his doctor’s thesis titled, "Strategy of Resource Saving in Conditions of Formation and Development of Market Relations."

1969: Began his career as an unskilled worker at the Domenstroi Construction Administration of the Kazmetallurgstroi Trust in Temirtau in the Karaganda Region. He went on to work as secretary of the Karaganda Iron and Steel Works' Communist Party Committee and as second secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party's Karaganda Regional Party Committee.

1979-1984: Secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party's Central Committee.

1984: Appointed chairman of the  Council of Ministers of Kazakhstan. 

1989 (July): Elected first secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party's Central Committee.

 Nazarbayev was a member of the Politburo of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee, serving as people's deputy of the USSR and the Kazakh SSR.

1990 (February): Appointed chairman of the Kazakh SSR Supreme Soviet.

1990 (April): Elected president of the Kazakh SSR.

1991 (December): Elected president of Kazakhstan in the presidential elections.

1995: A nationwide referendum extended his tenure of office until 2000.

1999 (January): Reelected president in early presidential elections.

2005 (December): Re-elected president by an absolute majority of (over91% )of the votes.

2010 (June): Given the "Leader of the Nation" title by parliament.

2011 (April 3): Re-elected president with 95.55% of the votes.