Turkmenistan

presidential republic; authoritarian

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

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

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

highest court(s): 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

history: several previous; latest adopted 14 September 2016 amendment process: proposed by the Assembly or Mejlis; passage requires two-thirds majority vote or absolute majority approval in a referendum

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

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.)

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)

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)

$134.555 billion (2024 est.) $131.576 billion (2023 est.) $123.778 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

$18,000 (2024 est.) $17,900 (2023 est.) $17,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

2.3% (2024 est.) 6.3% (2023 est.) 6.2% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

11.5% (2022 est.) 19.5% (2021 est.) 6.1% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

24.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

$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

$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

4.4% (2024 est.) 4.1% (2023 est.) 4.2% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $5.954 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $6.134 billion (2019 est.)

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

milk, wheat, potatoes, cotton, watermelons, tomatoes, grapes, barley, beef, lamb/mutton (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 5,744,151 (2024 est.) male: 2,842,870 female: 2,901,281

0.88% (2025 est.)

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)

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.)

total population: 72.4 years (2024 est.) male: 69.4 years female: 75.5 years

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

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

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.

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

total population: 99.9% (2022 est.) male: 99.9% (2022 est.) female: 99.9% (2022 est.)

petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

tier rating: 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/

refugees: 3,409 (2024 est.)

23 (2025)

total: 5,113 km (2017) broad gauge: 5,113 km (2017) 1.520-m gauge

total: 73 (2023) by type: general cargo 6, oil tanker 8, other 59

total subscriptions: 6.25 million (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 99 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 21% (2017 est.)