Turkmenistan

LOCATION

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) 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."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.

Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 488,100 sq km
land: 469,930 sq km
water: 18,170 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total: 4,158 km
border countries: Afghanistan 804 km; Iran 1,148 km; Kazakhstan 413 km; Uzbekistan 1,793 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: subtropical desert
Terrain: flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west
Elevation: highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya (Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya, the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) -81 m
mean elevation: 230 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Land use: agricultural land: 84.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 3.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 80.8% (2023 est.)
forest: 5% (2023 est.)
other: 10.7% (2023 est.)
Irrigated land: 16,459 sq km (2012)
Major lakes (area sq km): salt water lake(s): Caspian Sea (shared with Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km
Major rivers (by length in km): Amu Darya (shared with Tajikistan [s], Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 kmnote: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km): Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: (Aral Sea basin) Amu Darya (534,739 sq km)
Population distribution: 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
Natural hazards: earthquakes; mudslides; droughts; dust storms; floods
Geography - note: 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

Population: total: 5,744,151 (2024 est.)
male: 2,842,870
female: 2,901,281
Nationality: noun: Turkmenistani(s)
adjective: Turkmenistani
Ethnic groups: Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003 est.)
Languages: Languages: 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.
Religions: Muslim 93%, Christian 6.4%, Buddhist <1%, folk religion <1%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, unspecified <1% (2020 est.)
Age structure: 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)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 45.8 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 35.6 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 10.1 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 9.9 (2024 est.)
Median age: total: 31.6 years (2025 est.)
male: 30.7 years
female: 31.7 years
Population growth rate: 0.88% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 16.43 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 5.99 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution: 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
Urbanization: urban population: 54% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population: 902,000 ASHGABAT (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio: 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 (2024 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth: 24.2 years (2019)
Maternal mortality ratio: 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 35 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 43.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 27.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.4 years (2024 est.)
male: 69.4 years
female: 75.5 years
Total fertility rate: 2.02 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 0.99 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: urban: urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 5.6% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 8.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density: 1.93 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Hospital bed density: 4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 18.6% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita: 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.)
Tobacco use: total: 4.8% (2025 est.)
male: 9.4% (2025 est.)
female: 0.5% (2025 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.1% (2019 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49): 65% (2019 est.)
Child marriage: women married by age 15: 0.2% (2019)
women married by age 18: 6.1% (2019)
Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP): 2.7% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 29.6% national budget (2024 est.)
Literacy: total population: 99.9% (2022 est.)
male: 99.9% (2022 est.)
female: 99.9% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 13 years (2023 est.)
male: 12 years (2022 est.)
female: 12 years (2022 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
International environmental agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Climate: subtropical desert
Land use: agricultural land: 84.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 3.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 80.8% (2023 est.)
forest: 5% (2023 est.)
other: 10.7% (2023 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 54% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions: 106.215 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 100 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 18.062 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 88.153 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 28.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Methane emissions: energy: 5,451.4 kt (2022-2024 est.)
agriculture: 294.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)
waste: 44.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)
other: 1.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 500,000 tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 15.3% (2022 est.)
Total water withdrawal: municipal: 453.5 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial: 806.765 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural: 16.12 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 24.765 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turkmenistan
local long form: none
local short form: Turkmenistan
former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
etymology: the suffix -stan means "land," so the country name means the "Land of the Turkmen [people];" the people's name means "Turk-like," from the Persian words tork and mandan, referring to their formerly nomadic lifestyle that differed from the settled Turks of Turkey
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
Administrative divisions: 5 provinces (velayatlar, singular - velayat) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Velayat (Arkadag), Ashgabat*, Balkan Velayat (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Velayat, Lebap Velayat (Turkmenabat), Mary Velayat
Legal system: civil law system with Islamic (sharia) law influences
Constitution: 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
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship: citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Turkmenistan
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
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
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
Judicial branch: 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
Political parties: Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan or TAPParty of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan or TSTPThe Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or TDP
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Meret ORAZOV (since 14 February 2001)
chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500
FAX: [1] (202) 588-1500
email address and website: turkmenembassyus@verizon.nethttps://usa.tmembassy.gov.tm/en
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth ROOD (since 31 July 2024)
embassy: 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat 744000
mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070
telephone: [993] (12) 94-00-45
FAX: [993] (12) 94-26-14
email address and website: ConsularAshgab@state.govhttps://tm.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation: 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
Independence: 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Flag: description: 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 fieldmeaning: the green color and crescent moon stand for Islam, the five stars for the country's regions, and the guls for national identity
National symbol(s): Akhal-Teke horse
National color(s): green, white
National anthem(s): title: "Garaşsyz, Bitarap Türkmenistanyň" (Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem)
lyrics/music: collective/Veli MUKHATOV
history: adopted 1997; lyrics revised in 2008 to eliminate references to deceased President Saparmurat NYYAZOW
National heritage: total World Heritage Sites: 5 (4 cultural, 1 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Ancient Merv (c); Kunya-Urgench (c); Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (c); Cold Winter Deserts of Turan (n); Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor (c)

Economic overview: 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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $134.555 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $131.576 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $123.778 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024: 2.3% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 6.3% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 6.2% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2024: $18,000 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $17,900 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $17,100 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $64.24 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 11.5% (2022 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021: 19.5% (2021 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020: 6.1% (2020 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 11.3% (2023 est.)
industry: 39.3% (2023 est.)
services: 49.4% (2023 est.)
Agricultural products: milk, wheat, potatoes, cotton, watermelons, tomatoes, grapes, barley, beef, lamb/mutton (2023)
Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Labor force: 2.445 million (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024: 4.4% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 4.1% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 4.2% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 9.6% (2024 est.)
male: 14.7% (2024 est.)
female: 6% (2024 est.)
Average household expenditures: on food: 36.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 2.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2023: 0% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 0% of GDP (2021 est.)
Budget: revenues: $5.954 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $6.134 billion (2019 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 24.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
Exports: Exports 2023: $13.111 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $14.67 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2021: $10.282 billion (2021 est.)
Exports - partners: China 63%, Turkey 11%, Greece 7%, Uzbekistan 6%, Azerbaijan 4% (2023)
Exports - commodities: natural gas, refined petroleum, fertilizers, crude petroleum, electricity (2023)
Imports: Imports 2023: $7.563 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $7.362 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2021: $6.25 billion (2021 est.)
Imports - partners: Turkey 21%, UAE 21%, China 20%, Kazakhstan 8%, Germany 5% (2023)
Imports - commodities: broadcasting equipment, cars, wheat, computers, iron pipes (2023)
Debt - external: Debt - external 2023: $3.696 billion (2023 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: Turkmenistani manat (TMM) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2017: 4.125 (2017 est.)
Exchange rates 2016: 3.5 (2016 est.)
Exchange rates 2015: 3.5 (2015 est.)
Exchange rates 2014: 3.5 (2014 est.)

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 6.512 million kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 21.526 billion kWh (2023 est.)
exports: 9 billion kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 3.258 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal: imports: 200 metric tons (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 799.999 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum: total petroleum production: 272,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 152,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 600 million barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas: production: 84.277 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
consumption: 44.936 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
exports: 41.334 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 11.327 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 261.142 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 802,000 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2022 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 6.25 million (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 99 (2021 est.)
Broadcast media: 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
Internet country code: .tm
Internet users: percent of population: 21% (2017 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 377,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2022 est.)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: EZ
Airports: 23 (2025)
Heliports: 25 (2025)
Railways: total: 5,113 km (2017)
broad gauge: 5,113 km (2017) 1.520-m gauge
Merchant marine: total: 73 (2023)
by type: general cargo 6, oil tanker 8, other 59

Military and security forces: Armed Forces of Turkmenistan (aka Turkmen National Army): Ground Forces, Air Force, NavyMinistry of Internal Affairs: Internal Troops, Turkmen (National) Police, Federal/State Border Guard Service (2025)
Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2019: 1.9% of GDP (2019 est.)
Military Expenditures 2018: 1.8% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military Expenditures 2017: 1.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
Military Expenditures 2016: 1.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
Military Expenditures 2015: 1.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths: estimated 35,000 active Armed Forces (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions: the military's inventory is comprised largely of Russian/Soviet-era armaments with smaller quantities from suppliers such as Brazil, China, Italy, and Türkiye (2025)
Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service for men and volunteer service for men and women; 24-month conscript service obligation (2025)
Military - note: 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)

Space agency/agencies: Turkmenistan National Space Agency (established 2011; transferred to the Space Department of the Ministry of Communications in 2019) (2025)
Space program overview: 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)
Key space-program milestones: 2015 - first commercial telecommunications satellite (Turkmen Sat 52E) built by European company and launched by US2024 - announced beginning of program to develop or acquire a second communications satellite

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees: 3,409 (2024 est.)
Trafficking in persons: 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/