5,690,818 (2023 est.)
note: some sources suggest Turkmenistan's population could be as much as 1 to 2 million people lower than available estimates because of large-scale emigration during the last 10 years
noun: Turkmenistani(s)
adjective: Turkmenistani
Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003 est.)
Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
major-language sample(s):
Dünýä Faktlar Kitaby – esasy maglumatlaryň wajyp çeşmesidir (Turkmen)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Muslim 93%, Christian 6.4%, Buddhist
While Turkmenistan reputedly has a population of more than 5.6 million, the figure is most likely considerably less. Getting an accurate population estimate for the country is impossible because then President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW withheld the results of the last two censuses. The 2012 census results reportedly show that nearly 2 million citizens have emigrated in the last decade, which prompted BERDIMUHAMEDOW to order another census. Results of this census, covering 2008-2018, also were not released to the public but purportedly are similar. Another census was held in December 2022.
Authorities have reacted to the dramatic population decline by preventing Turkmen from leaving the country, including removing citizens from international flights and refusing to provide necessary documents. Turkmenistan’s rise in outmigration – mainly to Turkey, Russia, and Uzbekistan – coincided with the country’s 2013-2014 economic crisis. The outflow has been sustained by poor living standards, inflation, low income, and a lack of health care. At the same time, Ashbagat is encouraging people to have more children to make up for its shrinking population.
0-14 years: 24.63% (male 710,040/female 691,487)
15-64 years: 68.82% (male 1,943,930/female 1,972,723)
65 years and over: 6.55% (2023 est.) (male 163,121/female 209,517)
2022 population pyramid: 
2023 population pyramid: 
total dependency ratio: 56.6
youth dependency ratio: 48.9
elderly dependency ratio: 7.7
potential support ratio: 13 (2021 est.)
total: 30.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 30.2 years
female: 31.2 years
0.95% (2023 est.)
17.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 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
urban population: 54% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
902,000 ASHGABAT (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
24.2 years (2019)
5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 36.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 44.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 72.1 years (2023 est.)
male: 69.1 years
female: 75.3 years
2.03 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.99 (2023 est.)
49.7% (2019)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
5.7% of GDP (2020)
2.23 physicians/1,000 population (2014)
4 beds/1,000 population (2014)
improved: urban: 99.8% of population
rural: 99.9% of population
total: 99.8% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.2% of population
rural: 0.1% of population
total: 0.2% of population (2020 est.)
18.6% (2016)
total: 2.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.65 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 1.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 5.5% (2020 est.)
male: 10.6% (2020 est.)
female: 0.4% (2020 est.)
3.1% (2019)
64.3% (2023 est.)
women married by age 15: 0.2%
women married by age 18: 6.1% (2019 est.)
3.1% of GDP (2019 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.6% (2015)
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2020)
NOTE: The information regarding Turkmenistan on this page is re-published from the 2024 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Turkmenistan 2024 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Turkmenistan 2024 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 04 May 24, Copyright © 2024 ITA all rights reserved.
