Factbook dossier
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) …
Location
Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Area
total : 488,100 sq km land: 469,930 sq km water: 18,170 sq km
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Natural hazards
earthquakes; mudslides; droughts; dust storms; floods
Population
total: 5,744,151 (2024 est.) male: 2,842,870 female: 2,901,281
Ethnic groups
Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003 est.)
Languages
Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% major-language sample(s): D n Faktlar Kitaby esasy maglumatlaryň wajyp eşmesidir (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.)
Environmental issues
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
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 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
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 election results: 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: 2029 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 2028
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$134.555 billion (2024 est.) $131.576 billion (2023 est.) $123.778 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$18,000 (2024 est.) $17,900 (2023 est.) $17,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
11.5% (2022 est.) 19.5% (2021 est.) 6.1% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
China 63%, Turkey 11%, Greece 7%, Uzbekistan 6%, Azerbaijan 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
Turkey 21%, UAE 21%, China 20%, Kazakhstan 8%, Germany 5% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
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)
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.)