Turkmenistan

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

40 00 N, 60 00 E

Asia

488,100 sq km

469,930 sq km

18,170 sq km

Slightly more than three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California

4,158 km

Afghanistan 804 km; Iran 1,148 km; Kazakhstan 413 km; Uzbekistan 1,793 km

0 km (landlocked)

None (landlocked)

Subtropical desert

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

Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m

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

230 m

Petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

84.2% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 3.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 80.8% (2023 est.)

5% (2023 est.)

10.7% (2023 est.)

16,459 sq km (2012)

Caspian Sea (shared with Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km

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

(Aral Sea basin) Amu Darya (534,739 sq km)

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

Earthquakes; mudslides; droughts; dust storms; floods

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

5,744,151 (2024 est.)

2,842,870

2,901,281

Turkmenistani(s)

Turkmenistani

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

Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Dünýä Faktlar Kitaby – esasy maglumatlaryň wajyp çeşmesidir (Turkmen) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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

24.5% (male 711,784/female 692,967)

68.6% (male 1,956,740/female 1,984,333)

6.9% (2024 est.) (male 174,346/female 223,981)

45.8 (2024 est.)

35.6 (2024 est.)

10.1 (2024 est.)

9.9 (2024 est.)

31.6 years (2025 est.)

30.7 years

31.7 years

0.88% (2025 est.)

16.43 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.99 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

54% of total population (2023)

2.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

902,000 ASHGABAT (capital) (2023)

1.05 male(s)/female

1.03 male(s)/female

0.99 male(s)/female

0.78 male(s)/female

0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

24.2 years (2019)

5 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

35 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

43.6 deaths/1,000 live births

27.7 deaths/1,000 live births

72.4 years (2024 est.)

69.4 years

75.5 years

2.02 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.99 (2025 est.)

Urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

5.6% of GDP (2021)

8.5% of national budget (2022 est.)

1.93 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

18.6% (2016)

2.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.65 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

1.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

4.8% (2025 est.)

9.4% (2025 est.)

0.5% (2025 est.)

3.1% (2019 est.)

65% (2019 est.)

0.2% (2019)

6.1% (2019)

2.7% of GDP (2023 est.)

29.6% national budget (2024 est.)

99.9% (2022 est.)

99.9% (2022 est.)

99.9% (2022 est.)

13 years (2023 est.)

12 years (2022 est.)

12 years (2022 est.)

Soil and groundwater pollution from agricultural chemicals and pesticides; salination, waterlogging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; river diversion for irrigation; soil erosion; desertification

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

None of the selected agreements

Subtropical desert

84.2% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 3.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 80.8% (2023 est.)

5% (2023 est.)

10.7% (2023 est.)

54% of total population (2023)

2.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

106.215 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

100 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

18.062 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

88.153 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

28.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

5,451.4 kt (2022-2024 est.)

294.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)

44.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)

1.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)

500,000 tons (2024 est.)

15.3% (2022 est.)

453.5 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

806.765 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

16.12 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

24.765 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

None

Turkmenistan

None

Turkmenistan

Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

The suffix -stan means "land," so the country name means the "Land of the Turkmen [people];" the people's name means "Turk-like," from the Persian words tork and mandan, referring to their formerly nomadic lifestyle that differed from the settled Turks of Turkey

Presidential republic; authoritarian

Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)

37 57 N, 58 23 E

UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

5 provinces (velayatlar, singular - velayat) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Velayat (Arkadag), Ashgabat*, Balkan Velayat (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Velayat, Lebap Velayat (Turkmenabat), Mary Velayat

Civil law system with Islamic (sharia) law influences

Several previous; latest adopted 14 September 2016

Proposed by the Assembly or Mejlis; passage requires two-thirds majority vote or absolute majority approval in a referendum

Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

No

At least one parent must be a citizen of Turkmenistan

Yes

7 years

18 years of age; universal

President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022)

President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022)

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

President directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 7-year term (no term limits)

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%

2029

Assembly (Mejlis)

Unicameral

56 (48 indirectly elected; 8 appointed)

Plurality/majority

Full renewal

5 years

3/28/2021

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT) (65); Groups of citizens of Turkmenistan (28); Agrarian Party (24); Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (8)

25.5%

March 2028

Supreme Court of Turkmenistan (consists of the court president and 21 associate judges and organized into civil, criminal, and military chambers)

Judges appointed by the president for 5-year terms

High Commercial Court; appellate courts; provincial, district, and city courts; military courts

Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan or TAP Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan or TSTP The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or TDP

Ambassador Meret ORAZOV (since 14 February 2001)

2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

[1] (202) 588-1500

[1] (202) 588-1500

Turkmenembassyus@verizon.net https://usa.tmembassy.gov.tm/en

Ambassador Elizabeth ROOD (since 31 July 2024)

9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat 744000

7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070

[993] (12) 94-00-45

[993] (12) 94-26-14

ConsularAshgab@state.gov https://tm.usembassy.gov/

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

27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

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 meaning: the green color and crescent moon stand for Islam, the five stars for the country's regions, and the guls for national identity

Akhal-Teke horse

Green, white

"Garaşsyz, Bitarap Türkmenistanyň" (Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem)

Collective/Veli MUKHATOV

Adopted 1997; lyrics revised in 2008 to eliminate references to deceased President Saparmurat NYYAZOW

5 (4 cultural, 1 natural)

Ancient Merv (c); Kunya-Urgench (c); Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (c); Cold Winter Deserts of Turan (n); Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor (c)

Upper-middle-income Central Asian economy; houses fourth-largest natural gas reserves and rich in natural resources; authoritarian and dominated by state-owned enterprises; challenges include overvalued currency, high inflation risks, lack of economic diversification due to heavy state control and bureaucracy

$134.555 billion (2024 est.)

$131.576 billion (2023 est.)

$123.778 billion (2022 est.)

2.3% (2024 est.)

6.3% (2023 est.)

6.2% (2022 est.)

$18,000 (2024 est.)

$17,900 (2023 est.)

$17,100 (2022 est.)

$64.24 billion (2024 est.)

11.5% (2022 est.)

19.5% (2021 est.)

6.1% (2020 est.)

11.3% (2023 est.)

39.3% (2023 est.)

49.4% (2023 est.)

Milk, wheat, potatoes, cotton, watermelons, tomatoes, grapes, barley, beef, lamb/mutton (2023)

Natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing

2.445 million (2024 est.)

4.4% (2024 est.)

4.1% (2023 est.)

4.2% (2022 est.)

9.6% (2024 est.)

14.7% (2024 est.)

6% (2024 est.)

36.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

2.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

0% of GDP (2023 est.)

0% of GDP (2022 est.)

0% of GDP (2021 est.)

$5.954 billion (2019 est.)

$6.134 billion (2019 est.)

24.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

$13.111 billion (2023 est.)

$14.67 billion (2022 est.)

$10.282 billion (2021 est.)

China 63%, Turkey 11%, Greece 7%, Uzbekistan 6%, Azerbaijan 4% (2023)

Natural gas, refined petroleum, fertilizers, crude petroleum, electricity (2023)

$7.563 billion (2023 est.)

$7.362 billion (2022 est.)

$6.25 billion (2021 est.)

Turkey 21%, UAE 21%, China 20%, Kazakhstan 8%, Germany 5% (2023)

Broadcasting equipment, cars, wheat, computers, iron pipes (2023)

$3.696 billion (2023 est.)

Turkmenistani manat (TMM) per US dollar -

4.125 (2017 est.)

3.5 (2016 est.)

3.5 (2015 est.)

3.5 (2014 est.)

100% (2022 est.)

6.512 million kW (2023 est.)

21.526 billion kWh (2023 est.)

9 billion kWh (2023 est.)

3.258 billion kWh (2023 est.)

100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

200 metric tons (2023 est.)

799.999 million metric tons (2023 est.)

272,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

152,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

600 million barrels (2021 est.)

84.277 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

44.936 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

41.334 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

11.327 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

261.142 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

802,000 (2021 est.)

10 (2022 est.)

6.25 million (2021 est.)

99 (2021 est.)

State-controlled broadcast media; 7 state-owned TV and 4 state-owned radio networks; satellite dishes available for other broadcasts; officials sometimes limit access to satellite TV by removing satellite dishes

.tm

21% (2017 est.)

377,000 (2022 est.)

5 (2022 est.)

EZ

23 (2025)

25 (2025)

5,113 km (2017)

5,113 km (2017) 1.520-m gauge

73 (2023)

General cargo 6, oil tanker 8, other 59

Armed Forces of Turkmenistan (aka Turkmen National Army): Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy Ministry of Internal Affairs: Internal Troops, Turkmen (National) Police, Federal/State Border Guard Service (2025)

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.)

Estimated 35,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

The military's inventory is comprised largely of Russian/Soviet-era armaments with smaller quantities from suppliers such as Brazil, China, Italy, and Türkiye (2025)

18-27 years of age for compulsory military service for men and volunteer service for men and women; 24-month conscript service obligation (2025)

The military is responsible for external defense and works closely with the Border Service on protecting the country’s borders; areas of emphasis for the military include border security, competition on the Caspian Sea, regional stability, and military modernization; while Turkmenistan has a policy of permanent and "positive" neutrality and has declined to participate in post-Soviet military groupings such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, it has participated in multinational exercises and bilateral training with neighboring countries, including Russia and Uzbekistan; Turkmenistan joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1994, but it does not offer any military forces to NATO-led operations (2025)

Turkmenistan National Space Agency (established 2011; transferred to the Space Department of the Ministry of Communications in 2019) (2025)

Has a small space program focused on acquiring satellites and developing the infrastructure to build and operate satellites; particularly interested in communications and remote sensing satellites; has cooperated with the space agencies and/or space industries of France, Italy, Russia, South Korea, and the US (2025)

2015 - first commercial telecommunications satellite (Turkmen Sat 52E) built by European company and launched by US 2024 - announced beginning of program to develop or acquire a second communications satellite

3,409 (2024 est.)

Tier 2 Watch List — Turkmenistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, therefore Turkmenistan was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/turkmenistan/