Map of Turkmenistan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background:


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Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 60 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 488,100 km²
Land: 469,930 km²
Water: 18,170 km²
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,158 km
Border countries: (4) Afghanistan 804 km; Iran 1,148 km; Kazakhstan 413 km; Uzbekistan 1,793 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked); note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: subtropical desert

Terrain: flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west

Elevation
Highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
Lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya (Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya, the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) -81 m
Mean elevation: 230 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

Land use
Agricultural land: 72% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 4.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 67.8% (2018 est.)
Forest: 8.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 19.2% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 19,950 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²: Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: (Aral Sea basin) Amu Darya (534,739 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 450 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 810 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 16.12 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 24.77 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes; mudslides; droughts; dust storms; floods

Geography
Note: landlocked; the western and central low-lying desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau


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Population
Distribution: the most densely populated areas are the southern, eastern, and northeastern oases; approximately 50% of the population lives in and around the capital of Ashgabat: 5,690,818 (2023 est.)
Note: some sources suggest Turkmenistan's population could be as much as 1 to 2 million people lower than available estimates because of large-scale emigration during the last 10 years
Growth rate: 0.95% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 0.2% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Turkmenistani(s)
Adjective: Turkmenistani

Ethnic groups: Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003 est.)

Languages: Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Major-language samples:

Religions: Muslim 93%, Christian 6.4%, Buddhist <1%, folk religion <1%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, unspecified <1% (2020 est.)

Demographic profile: While Turkmenistan reputedly has a population of more than 5.6 million, the figure is most likely considerably less. Getting an accurate population estimate for the country is impossible because then President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW withheld the results of the last two censuses. The 2012 census results reportedly show that nearly 2 million citizens have emigrated in the last decade, which prompted BERDIMUHAMEDOW to order another census. Results of this census, covering 2008-2018, also were not released to the public but purportedly are similar. Another census was held in December 2022.

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.63% (male 710,040/female 691,487)
15-64 years: 68.82% (male 1,943,930/female 1,972,723)
65 years and over: 6.55% (2023 est.) (male 163,121/female 209,517)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 56.6
Youth dependency ratio: 48.9
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.7
Potential support ratio: 13 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 30.7 years (2023 est.)
Male: 30.2 years
Female: 31.2 years

Population growth rate: 0.95% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 17.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: the most densely populated areas are the southern, eastern, and northeastern oases; approximately 50% of the population lives in and around the capital of Ashgabat

Urbanization
Urban population: 54% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 902,000 ASHGABAT (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; soil erosion; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 26.41 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 70.63 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 52.09 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 24.2 years (2019)

Maternal mortality ratio: 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 36.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 44.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 69.1 years
Female: 75.3 years

Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 49.7% (2019)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 5.7% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 2.23 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 4 beds/1,000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 18.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 2.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.65 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 1.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 5.5% (2020 est.)
Male: 10.6% (2020 est.)
Female: 0.4% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.1% (2019)

Education expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2019 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.7%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.6% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 13 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 11% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 13.4%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 7.6%


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Turkmenistan
Local long form: none
Local short form: Turkmenistan
Former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology: the suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so Turkmenistan literally means the "Land of the Turkmen [people]"

Government type: presidential republic; authoritarian

Capital
Name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)
Geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E
Time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: derived from the Persian words eshq meaning "love" and abad meaning "inhabited place" or "city," and so loosely translates as "the city of love"

Administrative divisions: 5 provinces (velayatlar, singular - velayat) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Velayat (Arkadag), Ashgabat*, Balkan Velayat (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Velayat, Lebap Velayat (Turkmenabat), Mary Velayat
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Dependent areas

Independence: 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 14 September 2016
Amendments: proposed by the Assembly or Mejlis; passage requires two-thirds majority vote or absolute majority approval in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2023 (changed legislature from bicameral to unicameral Assembly or Mejlis; reestablished People's Council or Halk Maslahaty and named former president Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV as National Leader of the Turkmen people

Legal system: civil law system with Islamic (sharia) law influences

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Turkmenistan
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 12 March 2022 (next to be held in 2,029); note - on 11 February 2022, President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV announced his intent to retire setting up the early presidential election
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Assembly or Mejlis (125 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed to serve 5-year terms); formerly the Assembly was the lower house of the bicameral National Council or Milli Genes, which consisted of an upper house, the People's Council or Halk Maslahaty, and the Assembly or Mejlis
Elections: Mejlis (Assembly) - last held on 26 March 2023 for the Mejlis and local councils (next to be held in 2,028)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DPT 55, APT 11, PIE 11, independent 48 (individuals nominated by citizen groups); composition as of early as of April 2023 men 93, women 32, percent of women 25.6%
Note: on 22 January 2023, a joint session of the then bicameral National Council or Milli Genes voted unanimously to abolish itself, re-establishing a unicameral legislature and a separate People's Council or Halk Maslahaty

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Turkmenistan (consists of the court president and 21 associate judges and organized into civil, criminal, and military chambers)
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president for 5-year terms
Subordinate courts: High Commercial Court; appellate courts; provincial, district, and city courts; military courts

Political parties and leaders:
Note: all of these parties support President BERDIMUHAMEDOV; a law authorizing the registration of political parties went into effect in January 2012; unofficial, small opposition movements exist abroad

International organization participation: ADB, CIS (associate member, has not ratified the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings and held the chairmanship of the CIS in 2012), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Meret ORAZOV (since 14 February 2001)
In the us chancery: 2,207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 588-1500
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Matthew S. KLIMOW (since 26 June 2019)
From the us embassy: 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat 744,000
From the us mailing address: 7,070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20,521-7,070
From the us telephone: [993] (12) 94-00-45
From the us FAX: [993] (12) 94-26-14
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches; five white, five-pointed stars and a white crescent moon appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe; the green color and crescent moon represent Islam; the five stars symbolize the regions or welayats of Turkmenistan; the guls reflect the national identity of Turkmenistan where carpet-making has long been a part of traditional nomadic life
Note: the flag of Turkmenistan is the most intricate of all national flags

National symbols: Akhal-Teke horse; national colors: green, white

National anthem
Name: "Garassyz, Bitarap Turkmenistanyn" (Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem)
Lyrics/music: collective/Veli MUKHATOV
Note: adopted 1997, lyrics revised in 2008, to eliminate references to deceased President Saparmurat NYYAZOW

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 4 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: upper middle-income Central Asian economy; has 10% of global natural gas reserves, exporting to Russia and China; natural resource rich; authoritarian and dominated by state-owned enterprises; major central-south Asian pipeline development

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 50% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 10% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 28.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 26.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -14.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7.5% (2017 est.)
Industry: 44.9% (2017 est.)
Services: 47.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: milk, wheat, cotton, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons, grapes, sugar beets, beef, rice

Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing

Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 1.998 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 11% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 13.4%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 7.6%

Population below poverty line: 0.2% (2012 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 40.8 (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 2.6%
Highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $5.954 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $6.134 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -2.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 14.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: China 82% (2019)
Commodities: natural gas, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cotton fibers, fertilizers (2019)

Imports:
Partners: Turkey 25%, Russia 18%, China 14%, Germany 6% (2019)
Commodities: iron products, harvesting machinery, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment, tractors (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 5.205 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 15.09 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 3.2 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 2.892 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 235,300 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 153,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 59,900 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 600 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 191,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 53,780 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 83.623 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 45.399 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 38.224 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 11.327 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 109.037 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 19.977 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 89.06 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 330.507 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 801,721 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6,254,681 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 99 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: broadcast media is government controlled and censored; 7 state-owned TV and 4 state-owned radio networks; satellite dishes and programming provide an alternative to the state-run media; officials sometimes limit access to satellite TV by removing satellite dishes

Internet
Country code: .tm
Users total: 1,563,023 (2022 est.)
Users percent of population: 25.3% (2022 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 10,000 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.2 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 24-month conscript service obligation (30 months for the Navy); 20 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; men may enroll in military schools from age 15 (2023)

Space program
Overview: has a small space program focused on acquiring satellites and developing the infrastructure to build and operate satellites; particularly interested in remote sensing satellites for such purposes as monitoring its agricultural and transportation sectors, the oil and natural gas industry, and the ecology of the Caspian Sea; has cooperated with the space agencies and/or space industries of France, Italy, Russia, and the US (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 27
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 2,457,474 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 16.92 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: EZ

Airports: 26 (2021)
With paved runways: 21
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 5
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Pipelines: 7,500 km gas, 1501 km oil (2013)

Railways
Total: 5,113 km (2017)
Broad gauge: 5,113 km (2017) 1.520-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 58,592 km (2002)
Paved: 47,577 km (2002)
Unpaved: 11,015 km (2002)

Waterways: 1,300 km (2011) (Amu Darya River and Kara Kum Canal are important inland waterways)

Merchant marine
Total: 72 (2022)
By type: general cargo 6, oil tanker 8, other 58

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Caspian Sea - Turkmenbasy


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Disputes international: Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan: in January 2021, the two countries reached a preliminary agreement on the joint exploration of an undersea hydrocarbon field containing oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 4,463 (2022)

Illicit drugs: transit country for Afghan opiates to Turkish, Russian, and European markets, either directly from Afghanistan or through Iran; not a major producer or source country for illegal drugs or precursor chemicals