The demographics of Turkmenistan is about the demographic features of the population of Turkmenistan, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. The ethnic majority in Turkmenistan call themselves Turkmen.
Demographic trends
The 17 January 1939 census showed a population of 1,251,883, of which 741.5 thousand Turkmen, 232.9 thousand Russians, 107.4 thousand Uzbeks, 61.4 thousand Kazakhs, 19.5 thousand Tatars, 8,300 Iranians, 5,400 Baloch, and 75.5 thousand other nationalities. The population of Turkmenistan increased from 1.5 million in the 1959 census to 4.5 million in the 1995 census.Population census of Turkmenistan 1995, Vol. 1, State Statistical Committee of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 1996. The population continued growing to over 5 million in 2001–2006. According to opposition media, Turkmenistan's population in 2019 was no more than 3.3 million. As of July 2021, anonymous official sources informed opposition news media that the population of Turkmenistan had fallen to between 2.7 and 2.8 million.
According to some sources, deteriorating economic conditions have led to massive emigration of Turkmenistanis to other countries in search of work, possibly as many as 1,879,413 between 2008 and 2018, inclusive. Primary destinations are Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Between 2013 and 2019, the number of emigrants to Russia from Turkmenistan doubled. As one consequence, in 2018 Turkmen authorities began barring some citizens, particularly those younger than 40 years of age, from leaving the country in an apparent effort to stem emigration.
The 2022 census A once-in-a-decade national census was conducted 17–27 December 2022. Opposition media reported that many people claimed not to have been interviewed by census workers, or that census workers merely telephoned respondents, and did not visit them to count residents. According to the results of the 2022 census, the results of which were published in July 2023, the population of Turkmenistan was 7,057,841. However, offshore media disputed that figure, with one source claiming it came out of "thin air". Official population estimates are likely too high, given known emigration trends.
Vital statistics
UN estimates PeriodLive births per yearDeaths per yearNatural change per yearCBR1CDR1NC1TFR1IMR1 1950–1955 55 000 21 000 35 000 43.2 16.2 27.0 6.00 150.0 1955–1960 64 000 23 000 41 000 43.3 15.5 27.8 6.02 140.1 1960–1965 78 000 24 000 53 000 44.6 13.9 30.7 6.75 130.3 1965–1970 77 000 24 000 54 000 38.0 11.7 26.3 6.34 120.4 1970–1975 87 000 24 000 63 000 37.1 10.3 26.8 6.19 110.6 1975–1980 95 000 26 000 69 000 35.3 9.6 25.8 5.32 100.7 1980–1985 107 000 27 000 81 000 35.2 8.7 26.5 4.79 90.9 1985–1990 123 000 28 000 95 000 35.7 8.2 27.4 4.55 81.0 1990–1995 128 000 34 000 94 000 32.9 8.6 24.3 4.03 75.5199528.37.720.63.49199626.67.619.03.29199725.77.518.23.18199824.97.317.53.08199924.17.117.02.98200023.76.916.82.90200123.26.816.42.81200222.66.715.92.71200322.46.715.82.67200422.86.716.12.67200523.36.616.62.71200623.76.617.12.72200724.06.517.62.73200824.46.318.12.75200925.16.218.92.79201025.76.119.62.85201126.36.020.32.90201226.96.120.82.96201327.46.121.33.01201427.56.121.33.02201527.56.121.33.03201626.96.120.82.99201726.36.120.22.93201825.56.019.52.87201924.86.018.92.83202024.16.317.82.79202123.36.017.32.75202222.65.816.82.73202321.75.816.02.69202420.95.815.12.66202520.05.914.22.63 1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births
Registered births and deaths Note that vital statistics were not published after 1994 by TurkmenStat.
Average populationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000) 1950 1,211,000 46,335 12,411 33,924 38.3 10.2 28.0 1951 1,234,000 46,417 12,707 33,710 37.6 10.3 27.3 1952 1,260,000 49,306 14,775 34,531 39.1 11.7 27.4 1953 1,290,000 48,482 15,567 32,915 37.6 12.1 25.5 1954 1,321,000 51,162 14,650 36,512 38.7 11.1 27.6 1955 1,356,000 55,171 14,075 41,096 40.7 10.4 30.3 1956 1,390,000 53,528 11,783 41,745 38.5 8.5 30.0 1957 1,434,000 55,955 10,940 45,015 39.0 7.6 31.4 1958 1,487,000 59,235 10,987 48,248 39.8 7.4 32.4 1959 1,539,000 60,430 10,594 49,836 39.3 6.9 32.4 1960 1,593,000 67,676 10,433 57,243 42.5 6.5 35.9 1961 1,653,000 67,790 10,841 56,949 41.0 6.6 34.5 1962 1,713,000 68,725 11,772 56,953 40.1 6.9 33.2 1963 1,773,000 70,005 11,098 58,907 39.5 6.3 33.2 1964 1,833,000 69,777 11,623 58,154 38.1 6.3 31.8 1965 1,890,000 70,258 13,152 57,106 37.2 7.0 30.2 1966 1,943,000 73,109 13,036 60,073 37.6 6.7 30.9 1967 2,001,000 71,062 14,043 57,019 35.5 7.0 28.5 1968 2,061,000 73,470 14,223 59,247 35.6 6.9 28.7 1969 2,124,000 72,892 14,754 58,138 34.3 6.9 27.4 1970 2,188,000 77,080 14,370 62,710 35.2 6.6 28.6 1971 2,251,000 78,357 15,031 63,326 34.8 6.7 28.1 1972 2,315,000 78,841 16,680 62,161 34.0 7.2 26.8 1973 2,380,000 82,111 17,336 64,775 34.5 7.3 27.2 1974 2,449,000 84,607 17,766 66,841 34.5 7.2 27.3 1975 2,520,000 87,369 19,876 67,493 34.7 7.9 26.8 1976 2,588,000 90,765 20,040 70,725 35.1 7.7 27.4 1977 2,655,000 91,826 20,801 71,025 34.6 7.8 26.8 1978 2,724,000 93,798 21,847 71,951 34.4 8.0 26.4 1979 2,792,000 97,511 21,583 75,928 34.9 7.7 27.2 1980 2,861,000 98,069 23,863 74,206 34.3 8.3 25.9 1981 2,931,000 100,627 24,883 75,744 34.3 8.5 25.8 1982 3,003,000 104,340 23,984 80,356 34.7 8.0 26.8 1983 3,076,000 108,171 26,015 82,156 35.2 8.5 26.7 1984 3,151,000 111,083 25,760 85,323 35.3 8.2 27.1 1985 3,229,000 116,285 26,080 90,205 36.0 8.1 27.9 1986 3,310,000 122,337 27,865 94,472 37.0 8.4 28.5 1987 3,393,000 126,787 26,802 99,985 37.4 7.9 29.5 1988 3,479,000 125,887 27,317 98,570 36.2 7.9 28.3 1989 3,571,000 124,992 27,609 97,383 35.0 7.7 27.3 1990 3,668,000 125,343 25,755 99,588 34.2 7.0 27.2 1991 3,772,000 126,248 27,403 98,845 33.5 7.3 26.2 1992 3,883,000 131,034 27,509 103,525 33.7 7.1 26.7 1993 3,993,000 130,708 31,171 99,537 32.7 7.8 24.9 1994 4,096,000 129,700 32,067 97,633 31.7 7.8 23.8 1995 130,200 1996 125,400 1997 126,200 1998 121,900 1999 120,100 2000 119,665 2001 115,400 2002 111,039 2003 111,900 2004 115,119 2005 116,209 2006 116,542 2007 103,700 2008 114,900 2009 129,900 2010 144,600
Demographic and Health Surveys Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):
Year Total Urban Rural CBR TFR CBR TFR CBR TFR 2000 24.6 2.89 (2.66) 20.5 2.46 (2.29) 28.2 3.30 (3.00) 2015–16 28.0 3.2 25.0 3.0 30.0 3.3 2019 24.4 3.0 21.8 2.8 26.5 3.1 2024 20.0 2.8 19.0 2.6 22.0 3.0
Years 1925192619271928192919301931193219331934Total Fertility Rate in Turkmenistan6.226.226.226.226.226.226.226.226.226.22 Years 1935193619371938193919401941194219431944Total Fertility Rate in Turkmenistan6.226.226.226.226.226.226.226.226.226.22 Years 19451946194719481949Total Fertility Rate in Turkmenistan6.226.226.226.226.22
Life expectancy PeriodLife expectancy inYearsPeriodLife expectancy inYears1950–195551.31985–199062.81955–196053.41990–199562.71960–196555.51995–200063.21965–197057.62000–200564.21970–197559.22005–201065.81975–198060.22010–201567.31980–198561.8 Source: UN World Population Prospects
Ethnic groups The table shows the ethnic composition of Turkmenistan's population (in percent) between 1926 and 2022. There has been a sharp decline in the Slavic ethnic groups (Russians and Ukrainians) and also Kazakhs and Tatars since independence (as captured in the 1979 and 1995 censuses). Uzbeks are now the second largest ethnic group in Turkmenistan, with Russians relegated to the third place. According to data announced in Ashgabat in February 2001, 91% of the population are Turkmen, 3% are Uzbeks, and 2% are Russians. Between 1989 and 2001 the number of Turkmen in Turkmenistan doubled (from 2.5 to 4.9 million), while the number of Russians dropped by two-thirds (from 334,000 to slightly over 100,000).Ethnic composition of Turkmenistan in 2001, Demoscope Weekly, No. 37-38, 8–21 October 2001.
+ Population of Turkmenistan according to ethnic group 1926–2022 Ethnicgroup census 19261 census 19392 census 19593 census 19704 census 19795 census 19896 census 19957 census 20228 Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Turkmens 719,792 71.9 741,488 59.2 923,724 60.9 1,416,700 65.6 1,891,695 68.4 2,536,606 72.0 3,403,639 76.7 6,120,854 86.7 Uzbeks 104,971 10.5 107,451 8.6 125,231 8.3 179,498 8.3 233,730 8.5 317,333 9.0 408,259 9.2 642,476 9.1 Russians 75,357 7.5 232,924 18.6 262,701 17.3 313,079 14.5 349,170 12.6 333,892 9.5 297,319 6.7 114,447 1.6 Balochi 9,974 1.0 5,396 0.4 7,626 0.5 12,374 0.6 18,584 0.7 28,280 0.8 36,428 0.8 87,503 1.2 Azerbaijanis 4,229 0.4 7,442 0.6 12,868 0.8 16,775 0.8 23,548 0.9 33,365 0.9 36,586 0.8 26,576 0.4 Armenians 13,859 1.4 15,996 1.3 19,696 1.3 23,054 1.1 26,605 1.0 31,829 0.9 33,638 0.8 14,711 0.2 Kazakhs 9,471 0.9 61,397 4.9 69,522 4.6 68,519 3.2 79,539 2.9 87,802 2.5 88,752 2.0 11,825 0.2 Tatars 4,769 0.5 19,517 1.6 29,946 2.0 36,457 1.7 40,432 1.5 39,277 1.1 35,501 0.8 8,643 0.1 Ukrainians 6,877 0.7 21,778 1.7 20,955 1.4 35,398 1.6 37,118 1.3 35,578 1.0 23,064 0.5 2,566 0.0 Others 51,615 5.2 38,494 3.1 44,106 2.9 57,026 2.6 64,327 2.3 78,755 2.2 71,168 1.7 28,220 0.4 Total 1,000,914 1,251,883 1,516,375 2,158,880 2,764,848 3,522,717 4,434,354 7,057,841 1 Source: . 2 Source: . 3 Source: . 4 Source: . 5 Source: . 6 Source: . 7 Source: 8 Source:
Azerbaijanis in Turkmenistan
The significant presence of Azerbaijanis in Turkmenistan dates from the early twentieth century. A massive influx of Azerbaijanis migrated to Turkmenistan due to the devastating 1902 Shamakhi earthquake.
Beyler of Shamakhi settled mainly in Krasnovodsk and Ashgabad (now known as Turkmenbashi and Ashgabat respectively). The Beyler's wealth spurred a big "investment boom" in Turkestan (Turkmenistan). Beyler began to build new buildings by using modernized technological equipment. In a short time, a large number of hotels, houses, teahouses, caravanserais, mosques, madrasas, schools, and theaters were built.
Azerbaijanis were also involved in the fight against the Bolsheviks. Azerbaijanis were found among the Basmachi fighters led by Enver Pasha, and some helped finance the movement. For decades, the fight against the colonial policy of Bolsheviks failed. Most of the members of Basmachi movement were killed in the battles of the independence of Turkestan, the other part were exiled to labor camps of Gulag.
During the 70 years of Soviet rule, Azerbaijani Bays and warriors were declared as a national enemy and their names were erased from history books. Today they have been rehabilitated.
At the period of the collapse of the USSR, 36,000 Azerbaijanis lived in Turkmenistan, now their population has reached over 52,000.
While living in Turkmenistan, Azerbaijanis have contributed to the culture and art of the country. Musical instruments such as Gaval, Nagara, Tar, Saz and Kamancheh have gained popularity in Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijani dishes like dovga, syabzi-frying, and sweet rice have become favorite dishes of Turkmenistanis. Today, the Azerbaijani community of Turkmenistan has its own mosques, musicians, and dancers.
Some famous Azerbaijanis from Turkmenistan are: the chief of Baku City Executive Power Hajibala Abutalibov, Elnur Huseynov who represented Azerbaijan twice in the Eurovision Song Contest and the winner of The Voice of Turkey, singer Natavan Habibi, a well-known geologist Shamil Azizbayov, film director Ajdar Ibrahimov, national heroes of Azerbaijan Fakhraddin Musayev and Tahir Bagirov, the first woman in the oil industry, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1959 to 1983. Tahira Tahirova also was born in Turkmenistan.
Religion
Islam 95.8% Christianity 1.1% No religion 3.0%