Turkmenistan

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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. <br><br>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."<br><br>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.

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

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40 00 N, 60 00 E

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Asia

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

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0 km (landlocked)

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<strong>note:</strong> Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)

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none (landlocked)

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subtropical desert

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

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petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

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16,459 sq km (2012)

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Amu Darya (shared with Tajikistan [s], Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

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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

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earthquakes; mudslides; droughts; dust storms; floods

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

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

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0.88% (2025 est.)

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

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

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

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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

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902,000 ASHGABAT (capital) (2023)

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24.2 years (2019)

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

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2.02 children born/woman (2025 est.)

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0.99 (2025 est.)

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1.93 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

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

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18.6% (2016)

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3.1% (2019 est.)

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65% (2019 est.)

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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

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subtropical desert

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28.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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24.765 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

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presidential republic; authoritarian

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

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<strong>note:</strong> administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; exceptions show the administrative center name in parentheses

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civil law system with Islamic (sharia) law influences

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

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18 years of age; universal

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<strong>note:</strong> the president is both chief of state and head of government

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

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<strong>note:</strong> all parties support President BERDIMUHAMEDOV; unofficial, small opposition movements exist abroad

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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

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27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

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Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

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<strong>description:</strong> green field with a vertical red stripe near the left side; the stripe has five tribal <em>guls </em>(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<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the green color and crescent moon stand for Islam, the five stars for the country's regions, and the guls for national identity

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Akhal-Teke horse

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green, white

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<p>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</p>

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<b>note:</b> data in 2017 dollars

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<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

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<b>note:</b> data in 2017 dollars

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$64.24 billion (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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<strong>note:</strong> annual % change based on consumer prices

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<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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

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<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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

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2.445 million (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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<b>note:</b> personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

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<strong>note: </strong>GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

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

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<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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

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<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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<strong>note: </strong>GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

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

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<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

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

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<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars

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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

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.tm

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EZ

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23 (2025)

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25 (2025)

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

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estimated 35,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

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the military's inventory is comprised largely of Russian/Soviet-era armaments with smaller quantities from suppliers such as Brazil, China, Italy, and T&uuml;rkiye (2025)

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

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the military is responsible for external defense and works closely with the Border Service on protecting the country&rsquo;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)

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

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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)

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