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Turkmenistan
A secretive Central Asian nation bordering the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan is one of the world's most isolated and authoritarian states, often compared to North Korea. The capital Ashgabat holds the Guinness record for the highest density of white marble buildings. The Darvaza gas crater ('Door to Hell') has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971. Turkmenistan has the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves.
Major cities: Ashgabat, Türkmenabat, Daşoguz, Mary
2024
7.5M
UN
2050
9.6M
UN
2100
9.9M
UN
~2200
7.0M
GPU
~2500
1.0M
GPU
Population7.5M
Fertility (TFR)2.66
Life expectancy70.2
Median age26.2
Infant mortality31.2 per 1,000
Pop. density16/km²
Urbanization47%
Youth share (0-14)32%
Land area469,930 km²
LanguageTurkmen 72%; Russian 12%; Uzbek 9%
ReligionMuslim
HDI0.764 (#95)
RegionAsia
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.27M | 5.26 | 48.1 | 39.0 | 18.8 | -2K | 2.0% |
| 1955 | 1.42M | 5.97 | 50.2 | 44.0 | 18.5 | +1K | 2.6% |
| 1960 | 1.64M | 6.59 | 52.1 | 47.4 | 17.4 | +1K | 3.0% |
| 1965 | 1.92M | 6.76 | 54.0 | 43.6 | 15.2 | +1K | 2.8% |
| 1970 | 2.20M | 6.40 | 56.0 | 38.2 | 12.8 | +1K | 2.5% |
| 1975 | 2.49M | 6.00 | 57.2 | 36.8 | 11.7 | +1K | 2.5% |
| 1980 | 2.83M | 5.30 | 60.2 | 36.4 | 10.1 | -1K | 2.6% |
| 1985 | 3.25M | 4.97 | 62.8 | 38.4 | 8.9 | +2K | 3.0% |
| 1990 | 3.76M | 4.29 | 63.9 | 34.9 | 8.1 | -5K | 2.7% |
| 1995 | 4.19M | 3.49 | 63.5 | 28.3 | 7.7 | -13K | 2.1% |
| 2000 | 4.58M | 2.90 | 64.9 | 23.7 | 6.9 | +15K | 1.7% |
| 2005 | 5.05M | 2.71 | 66.3 | 23.3 | 6.6 | +10K | 1.7% |
| 2010 | 5.56M | 2.85 | 68.6 | 25.7 | 6.1 | +7K | 2.0% |
| 2015 | 6.22M | 3.03 | 69.1 | 27.5 | 6.1 | +10K | 2.1% |
| 2020 | 6.95M | 2.79 | 68.8 | 24.1 | 6.3 | +20K | 1.8% |
| 2024Now | 7.49M | 2.66 | 70.2 | 20.9 | 5.8 | +15K | 1.5% |
| 2025 | 7.62M | 2.63 | 70.3 | 20.0 | 5.9 | +13K | 1.4% |
| 2030 | 8.14M | 2.49 | 71.0 | 17.1 | 6.3 | -3K | 1.1% |
| 2035 | 8.54M | 2.37 | 71.6 | 16.7 | 7.1 | -3K | 1.0% |
| 2040 | 8.93M | 2.27 | 72.3 | 17.0 | 7.8 | -3K | 0.9% |
| 2045 | 9.31M | 2.19 | 72.9 | 16.6 | 8.5 | -3K | 0.8% |
| 2050 | 9.64M | 2.13 | 73.6 | 15.2 | 9.0 | -3K | 0.6% |
| 2055 | 9.88M | 2.07 | 74.3 | 13.7 | 9.4 | -3K | 0.4% |
| 2060 | 10.0M | 2.01 | 75.0 | 12.8 | 9.9 | -4K | 0.3% |
| 2065 | 10.1M | 1.97 | 75.6 | 12.5 | 10.4 | -3K | 0.2% |
| 2070 | 10.2M | 1.94 | 76.4 | 12.5 | 10.9 | -3K | 0.2% |
| 2075 | 10.3M | 1.91 | 77.0 | 12.1 | 11.3 | -3K | 0.1% |
| 2080 | 10.3M | 1.89 | 77.8 | 11.5 | 11.4 | -3K | 0.0% |
| 2085 | 10.2M | 1.86 | 78.5 | 10.8 | 11.5 | -3K | -0.1% |
| 2090 | 10.2M | 1.84 | 79.1 | 10.3 | 11.7 | -3K | -0.1% |
| 2095 | 10.1M | 1.82 | 79.8 | 10.1 | 12.1 | -3K | -0.2% |
| 2100 | 9.95M | 1.81 | 80.5 | 10.0 | 12.7 | -3K | -0.3% |