Turkmenistan Population
Turkmenistan had an estimated population of 7,618,847 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 103rd most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.09% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.65% a year.
Turkmenistan at a glance
How Turkmenistan's population is changing
Turkmenistan's population is growing fast: +1.65% a year, which works out to about +125,375 people per year, or +343 a day. Births (20.9 per 1,000) and deaths (5.8 per 1,000) alone would give +1.51% a year; net migration adds about 13,268 people a year (+0.17%). Roughly one in every 1,078 people on Earth lives in Turkmenistan.
Population of Turkmenistan since 1960
In 1960, Turkmenistan had 1,643,457 people. By 2025 that was 7,618,847 — 4.6× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 34%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,643,457 | — |
| 1970 | 2,195,616 | +33.6% |
| 1980 | 2,832,203 | +29.0% |
| 1990 | 3,760,562 | +32.8% |
| 2000 | 4,582,677 | +21.9% |
| 2010 | 5,564,356 | +21.4% |
| 2020 | 6,949,912 | +24.9% |
| 2025 | 7,618,847 | +9.6% |
Turkmenistan from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Turkmenistan at about 367,215 people in 1800; the UN estimates 7,618,852 in 2025 (21× 1800) and projects 9,946,599 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2079 at 10,281,441 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 367,215 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 483,028 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 760,911 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,269,184 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 4,582,675 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 7,618,852 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 9,639,706 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 10,270,682 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 9,946,599 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Turkmenistan
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 7,618,847. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashgabat | 1,218,323 | UN urban centre | 15.99% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Mary | 280,172 | UN urban centre | 3.68% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Türkmenabat | 246,914 | UN urban centre | 3.24% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Daşoguz | 201,142 | GeoNames settlement | 2.64% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Balkanabat | 97,420 | UN urban centre | 1.28% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Türkmenbaşy | 91,745 | GeoNames settlement | 1.20% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Tejen | 67,488 | GeoNames settlement | 0.89% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Bayramaly | 52,825 | UN urban centre | 0.69% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Gyzylarbat | 48,558 | GeoNames settlement | 0.64% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Magdanly | 44,508 | GeoNames settlement | 0.58% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Turkmenistan compares
Turkmenistan has almost the same population as Hong Kong (7,498,900).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Turkmenistan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #101 |  Togo | 8,591,626 | +13% | compare → |
| #102 |  Laos | 7,873,046 | +3% | compare → |
| #104 |  Hong Kong | 7,498,900 | −2% | compare → |
| #105 |  Libya | 7,458,555 | −2% | compare → |
Compare Turkmenistan with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Turkmenistan
Land neighbours (4)
Iran 92,417,681 · 12.1× the population · compare
Afghanistan 43,844,111 · 5.8× the population · compare
Uzbekistan 37,053,428 · 4.9× the population · compare
Kazakhstan 20,843,754 · 2.7× the population · compare
Turkmenistan's 4 neighbours together hold 194,158,974 people — 25.5× Turkmenistan's population. The most populous is Iran (92,417,681).
In its region
Turkmenistan is the 25th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 0.8% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Turkmenistan
Cities
Ashgabat, Mary, Türkmenabat, Daşoguz, Balkanabat, Türkmenbaşy, Tejen, Bayramaly — all Turkmenistan's cities on the map.
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About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.