01
Physical geography
Flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west.
Local timeAshgabat ·
Asia / Central Asia · Card 047
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia. Its capital is Ashgabat.
Find Turkmenistan
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Ashgabat
- Languages
- Turkmen
- Currency
- Turkmenistan manat (TMT)
- Population
- 7.6 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 488,100 km²188,456 square miles
- Independence
- 1991from the Soviet Union
Turkmenistan in context
Asia and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Ashgabat; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Turkmen is the state language; Russian, Uzbek and other languages are also spoken.
03
Location
Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan.
Flag
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
History & independence
Turkmen territories came under Russian imperial rule and became a Soviet republic in 1924. Turkmenistan declared independence in 1991. Its policy of permanent neutrality received recognition from the UN General Assembly in 1995.
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Soviet republic established
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Independence
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Permanent neutrality recognized by the UN
Economy
Main activities
Natural gas dominates exports. Oil products, cotton, textiles, agriculture and construction also contribute; reliance on gas makes export markets and pipeline access especially important.
Industry and production
natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people7.62025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,195,616 | 2.196 |
| 1980 | 2,832,203 | 2.832 |
| 1990 | 3,760,562 | 3.761 |
| 2000 | 4,582,677 | 4.583 |
| 2010 | 5,564,356 | 5.564 |
| 2020 | 6,949,912 | 6.950 |
| 2025 | 7,618,847 | 7.619 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars65.62025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13,154,066,815 | 13.154 |
| 1991 | 12,548,287,416 | 12.548 |
| 1992 | 10,670,312,396 | 10.670 |
| 1993 | 10,830,367,117 | 10.830 |
| 1994 | 8,956,728,712 | 8.957 |
| 1995 | 8,311,840,579 | 8.312 |
| 1996 | 8,868,733,232 | 8.869 |
| 1997 | 7,857,697,632 | 7.858 |
| 1998 | 8,415,594,191 | 8.416 |
| 1999 | 9,804,167,193 | 9.804 |
| 2000 | 10,340,363,396 | 10.340 |
| 2001 | 10,789,532,801 | 10.790 |
| 2002 | 10,817,281,321 | 10.817 |
| 2003 | 11,170,879,714 | 11.171 |
| 2004 | 11,729,469,205 | 11.729 |
| 2005 | 13,258,292,303 | 13.258 |
| 2006 | 14,713,165,593 | 14.713 |
| 2007 | 16,340,338,654 | 16.340 |
| 2008 | 18,742,368,439 | 18.742 |
| 2009 | 19,885,652,917 | 19.886 |
| 2010 | 21,715,133,000 | 21.715 |
| 2011 | 24,911,234,036 | 24.911 |
| 2012 | 27,664,132,454 | 27.664 |
| 2013 | 30,475,595,365 | 30.476 |
| 2014 | 33,629,738,846 | 33.630 |
| 2015 | 35,799,714,286 | 35.800 |
| 2016 | 38,029,714,278 | 38.030 |
| 2017 | 40,483,157,023 | 40.483 |
| 2018 | 42,995,551,318 | 42.996 |
| 2019 | 45,717,898,781 | 45.718 |
| 2020 | 48,401,839,455 | 48.402 |
| 2021 | 51,379,113,005 | 51.379 |
| 2022 | 54,582,556,335 | 54.583 |
| 2023 | 58,031,518,088 | 58.032 |
| 2024 | 61,677,264,925 | 61.677 |
| 2025 | 65,562,932,638 | 65.563 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.764High human developmentRank 95 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
20100.700
20200.744
20230.764
70.1 yearsLife expectancy at birth
11.2 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
Presidential republic; authoritarian. Assembly (Mejlis) has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Knowledge check
Three questions about Turkmenistan.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Which city is identified as the capital of Turkmenistan?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.