Turkmenistan Population 2024 (Live)

6,573,631

Turkmenistan is currently growing at a rate of 1.3%. The country has a fertility rate of 2.36 births per woman, which has fallen dramatically over the past few decades but remains above the replacement rate of 2.1. Life expectancy is now 65 years.

Turkmenistan Population Growth

The growth rate of the population in Turkmenistan hit a peak around the time that they gained their independence in 1990, but the rate of change has been fluctuating a bit since that time. Although it is difficult to pinpoint causation, emigration has also been inconsistent during the same period. As of 2019, the annual growth rate in Turkmenistan was 1.56%.

Turkmenistan Population Projections

Although there has been fluctuating population patterns in the fairly recent past, the rate of change is expected to steadily decrease in the near future. Current projections believe that the annual rate will peak in 2020 at 1.62% before gradually declining over a whole percentage point to 0.61% by 2050. During this same period it is predicted that the population of Turkmenistan will be 6,031,195 in 2020, 6,767,418 in 2030, 7,371,176 in 2040 and 7,887,617 by 2050.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2024 World Percentage
Land Area
469,930
The current population of Turkmenistan is 6,573,631 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2024 population at 6,598,071.

Turkmenistan Growth Rate

Turkmenistan Population 2024 (Live)

Turkmenistan Population Clock

Turkmenistan Population (as of 3/11/2024)6,573,631
Next UN Estimate (July 1, 2024)6,598,071
Births per Day352
Deaths per Day120
Migrations per Day-11
Net Change per Day220
Population Change Since Jan. 115,620

Components of Population Change

One birth every 4.08 minutes
One death every 12 minutes
One emigrant every 130.92 minutes
Net gain of one person every 6.55 minutes

Turkmenistan Population Clock

City
2024 Population
Ashgabat727,700
Turkmenabat234,817
Dasoguz166,500
Mary114,680
Balkanabat87,822
Bayramaly75,797
Turkmenbasy68,292
Tejen67,294
Abadan39,481
Yoloeten37,705

Turkmenistan Area and Population Density

Located in Central Asia along the Caspian Sea, the country of Turkmenistan has a total surface area of 188,456 square miles (488,099 square kilometers), which is roughly the size of the state of California and ranks the 57th in the world in terms of sheer size. Despite its relatively large size, Turkmenistan is one of the least densely populated countries in the world, largely because most of the country is covered by the Turan Depression and the Karakum Desert. Using the 2017 population of 5.758 million, the population density of Turkmenistan is 31 people per square miles (12 people per square kilometers), which ranks 178th in the world in terms of population density.

Largest Cities in Turkmenistan

Just under half of the population living in Turkmenistan live in or around major cities. The capital and largest city is Ashgabat, or Ashkhabad (formerly Poltoratsk), with an estimated population of more than 1 million in the greater metropolitan area. Ashgabat is the administrative center in Turkmenistan, as well as the industrial hub for the textile, metallurgy, carpet-weaving and glassworks industries. The second-largest city is the ancient Türkmenabat, with 243,909 residents. Türkmenabat was a major part of the Great Silk Road and is found along the Transcaspian Railway. Other notable cities with populations over 100,000 include Daşoguz, Mary, and Balkanabat.

Turkmenistan Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
20246,598,0711.39%14111210
20236,516,1001.44%14111210
20206,250,4381.49%13112210
20196,158,4201.54%13112210
20186,065,0661.62%13112210
20175,968,3831.7%13113210
20155,766,4311.82%12113210
20105,267,9701.52%11115209
20054,885,7751.35%10114209
20004,569,1321.57%10114206
19954,226,6232.58%9118205
19903,720,2782.76%8119206
19853,246,8872.55%7123207
19802,862,9032.54%6125207
19752,525,7602.79%5124208
19702,201,4323.02%5125207
19651,897,0953.44%4125207
19601,602,0523.28%3128208
19551,363,5072.35%3130208

Turkmenistan Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
20246,598,0711.39%14111210
20256,676,9661.33%14110210
20307,034,7581.05%15111210
20357,367,8310.93%16111210
20407,697,6150.88%16110210
20458,005,8740.79%17113210
20508,263,8330.64%18113210
20558,463,1950.48%18112209
20608,616,1970.36%18110209
20658,738,1580.28%19108208
20708,835,6570.22%19107208
20758,905,3490.16%19106205
20808,942,5020.08%19106205
20858,950,3010.02%19106207
20908,929,610-0.05%19104206
20958,884,512-0.1%19104206

Turkmenistan Population by Year (Projections)

Turkmenistan Population Pyramid 2024

Turkmenistan Median Age

45.165

Total

41.902

Male

43.264

Female

Turkmenistan Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Turkmenistan.

Census Years

Year
Date
20222022
201226 December 2012
199510 January 1995
198912 January 1989

Turkmenistan Population Pyramid

Turkmenistan Demographics

The majority of Turkmenistan's people are ethnic Turkmens (85%) with large minorities of Uzbeks (5%) and Russians (4%). Small minorities include the Kazakhs, Tatars, Ukrainians, Kurds, Armenians, Azeris, Balochs and Pashtuns.

In 1939, 18.6% of the population was ethnic Russian, which fell to 9.5% in 1989. Today, it is estimated at 4%. The number of Turkmen in the country doubled from 1989 to 2001 while the number of Russians fell by around 66%.

Turkmenistan Religion, Economy and Politics

Muslims make up 89% of the population in Turkmenistan, and most Turkmen site Islam as an integral part of their daily life and culture. An additional 10% of the population are of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the religion of the remaining 1% of the population is unknown, according to the CIA World Factbook. The Pew Research Center places the Muslim population even higher at 93%.

The economy of Turkmenistan is heavily dependent on both agriculture and their gas and oil resources. Turkmenistan is ranked number seven in the world in terms of natural gas reserves, although they are limited in their means to export it. Turkmenistan also produces over 200,000 barrels of oil per day, roughly half of which is consumed domestically. The two most prominent crops are cotton and wheat. Roughly half of the country's workforce work in agriculture, 38% work in services and the rest largely work in industry and construction. The financial system in Turkmenistan is completely under the control of the state.

As a presidential republic, the president of Turkmenistan is head of both the state and the government. The legislature is known as the Mejlis and is a unicameral parliament with 125 members, each serving five-year terms. The judicial system is comprised of a Supreme Court, six provincial courts, and 61 city and district courts. Military courts were outlawed in 1997, and the president has the power to appoint judges. Broken into five areas, Turkmenistan each of which has its regional administration.

Turkmenistan Population History

The area now known as Turkmenistan has been occupied by humans since at least 6th century BC. Arabs conquered the area in the 7th century AD, converting the region to Islam. Genghis Khan took over the region several hundred years later, followed by the Persians in the 15th through 17th centuries. Present-day Turkmenistan was incorporated as part of Russia in 1881, and they became a constituent republic of the USSR in 1925. An earthquake killed over 100,000 people in Turkmenistan in 1948. Turkmenistan became a sovereign nation, free of Russia, in 1990.

Turkmenistan Population Rank 2024
Area (km²)
488,100
2024 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF '23)
$81.82
GDP (UN '22)
$67.01 Bn

Turkmenistan - General Info

Sources