Kazakhstan has all the prerequisites for the formation of innovative potential. However, to ensure the innovative economic development of Kazakhstan, it is necessary to create favorable conditions that promote the commercialization of innovations. Otherwise, all expenditures that are currently primarily of a state nature will not have the required economic indicators. The modern theory of sustainable economic growth is based on the concept of innovation. That is why the main indicators of overall economic development depend on innovative development. The article studies the variability of a data group formed from indicators of innovative development of the economy of Kazakhstan, using one of the methods of reducing dimension as a correlation analysis. The data of 2000–2018 are analyzed, that is, for 19 years. Discusses the correlation analysis of indicators characterizing the amount of research and development costs and gross domestic product. The obtained correlation coefficients demonstrate a strong linear relationship between the selected indicators. The statistical analysis showed: patterns of change in the GDP of the economy internal R&D costs are almost identical, correlation-regression model of the impact of GDP on domestic R&D expenditures. That is, the number of innovatively active enterprises and internal R&D costs are interdependent variables with a close correlation. High correlation coefficients between the registration of patent applications and the grant of patents in Kazakhstan and the number of employees performing R&D. A strong but negative relationship between the number of organizations performing research and development and the rest, perhaps some organizations exist only nominally and their economic activity is minimal. © 2020 by author(s) and VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center.