Background: Present-day Turkmenistan has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. Various Persian empires ruled the area in antiquity, and Alexander the Great, Muslim armies, the Mongols, Turkic warriors, and eventually the Russians conquered it. In medieval times, Merv (located in present-day Mary province) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia in the late 1800s, Turkmen territories later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik resistance in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic; it achieved independence when the USSR dissolved in 1991. President for Life Saparmurat NIYAZOV died in 2006, and Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, a deputy chairman under NIYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president. BERDIMUHAMEDOV won Turkmenistan's first multi-candidate presidential election in 2007, and again in 2012 and 2017 with over 97% of the vote in elections widely regarded as undemocratic. In 2022, BERDIMUHAMEDOV announced that he would step down from the presidency and called for an election to replace him. His son, Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV, won the ensuing election with 73% of the vote. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, although no longer head of state, maintains an influential political position as head of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) and as National Leader of the Turkmen People, a title that provides additional privileges and immunity for him and his family. Since Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV stepped down from the presidency, state-controlled media upgraded his honorific from Arkadag (protector) to Hero-Arkadag, and began referring to Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV as Arkadagly Serdar, which can be translated as 'Serdar who has a protector to support him'. Turkmenistan has sought new export markets for its extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves, which have yet to be fully exploited. Turkmenistan's reliance on gas exports has made the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in the global energy market, and economic hardships since the drop in energy prices in 2014 have led many citizens of Turkmenistan to emigrate, mostly to Turkey.

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): (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

Land use
Agricultural land: 84.2% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 3.4% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 80.8% (2023 est.)
Forest: 5% (2023 est.)
Other: 10.7% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 16,459 km² (2012)

Major rivers: Amu Darya (shared with Tajikistan [s], Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

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

Population
Total: 5,744,151 (2024 est.)
Male: 2,842,870
Female: 2,901,281
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
Growth rate: 0.92% (2024 est.)

Languages: Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Major-language sample(s): ; Dünýä Faktlar Kitaby – esasy maglumatlaryň wajyp çeşmesidir (Turkmen); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.5% (male 711,784/female 692,967)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 1,956,740/female 1,984,333)
65 years and over: 6.9% (2024 est.) (male 174,346/female 223,981)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.8 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 35.6 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.1 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 9.9 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 31.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 30.7 years
Female: 31.7 years

Population growth rate: 0.92% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 16.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 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)

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 (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 35.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 43.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 27.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.4 years (2024 est.)
Male: 69.4 years
Female: 75.5 years

Total fertility rate: 2.02 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

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

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.4% (2024 est.); 4.1% (2023 est.); 4.2% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

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 Turkmen words ushq, meaning 'love,' and abad, meaning 'inhabited place' or 'town;' the city was originally a military outpost built in 1881 that took its name from an ancient settlement on the site

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 show the administrative center name in parentheses

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022)
Head of government: President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 7-year term (no term limits)
Most recent election date: 12 March 2022
2022: Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV elected president; percent of vote - Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (DPT) 73%, Khydyr NUNNAYEV (independent) 11.1%, Agadzhan BEKMYRADOV (IAP) 7.2%, other 8.7%
2017: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV (DPT) 97.7%, other 2.3%
Expected date of next election: 2,029
Note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Assembly (Mejlis)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 56 (48 indirectly elected; 8 appointed)
Electoral system: plurality/majority
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 3/28/2021
Parties elected and seats per party: Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT) (65); Groups of citizens of Turkmenistan (28); Agrarian Party (24); Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (8)
Percentage of women in chamber: 25.5%
Expected date of next election: March 2,028

Flag description: green field with a vertical red stripe near the left side; the stripe has five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches; five five-pointed white stars and a white crescent moon appear in the upper left corner of the main field

National anthem
Title: 'Garaşsyz, Bitarap Türkmenistanyň' (Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem)
Lyrics/music: collective/Veli MUKHATOV
History: adopted 1997; lyrics revised in 2008 to eliminate references to deceased President Saparmurat NYYAZOW

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 5 (4 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 2.3% (2024 est.); 6.3% (2023 est.); 6.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 2.3% (2024 est.); 6.3% (2023 est.); 6.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.3% (2023 est.)
Industry: 39.3% (2023 est.)
Services: 49.4% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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

Labor force: 2.445 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 4.4% (2024 est.); 4.1% (2023 est.); 4.2% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.4% (2024 est.); 4.1% (2023 est.); 4.2% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $5.954 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $6.134 billion (2019 est.)

Exports: $13.111 billion (2023 est.); $14.67 billion (2022 est.); $10.282 billion (2021 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: natural gas, refined petroleum, fertilizers, crude petroleum, electricity (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $7.563 billion (2023 est.); $7.362 billion (2022 est.); $6.25 billion (2021 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: broadcasting equipment, cars, wheat, computers, iron pipes (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 6.512 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 21.526 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 9 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.258 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Imports: 200 metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 799.999 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 272,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 152,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 600 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 84.277 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 44.936 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 41.334 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 11.327 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 106.215 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 100 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 18.062 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 88.153 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 261.142 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 802,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6.25 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 99 (2021 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 21% (2017 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 377,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2022 est.)

Military expenditures: 1.9% of GDP (2019 est.); 1.8% of GDP (2018 est.); 1.8% of GDP (2017 est.); 1.8% of GDP (2016 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

Airports: 23 (2025)

Heliports: 25 (2025)

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

Merchant marine
Total: 73 (2023)
By type: general cargo 6, oil tanker 8, other 59