Turkmenistan at its true size
Turkmenistan covers 491,210 km², number 51 of 194 countries by area. Home to 7,618,847 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.66× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 491,210 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 7,618,847 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 16 per km² |
| Capital | Ashgabat |
| Local time in Ashgabat | |
| Time zone | UTC+5 IANA |
| Currency | Turkmenistan new manat (TMT) Wikidata |
| Languages | Turkmen |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Central Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +993 |
| Codes | TM · TKM · 795 |
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Where Turkmenistan ranks
Among the independent states, in 38 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#104 of 1947.6 million people#33 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#178 of 19416 people per km²#46 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#133 of 19247% urban#32 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#64 of 1922.66 births per woman#10 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#60 of 192+1.65% a year#14 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#64 of 19220.9 births per 1,000 people#9 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#146 of 1925.8 deaths per 1,000 people#25 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#64 of 19231.2% under 15#10 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#127 of 1924.8% aged 65 and over#33 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#41 of 192+1.7 per 1,000 people#11 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#95 of 1900.24 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#23 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#130 of 19270.2 years#40 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#46 of 19130.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#6 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#83 of 1781.93 doctors per 1,000 people#23 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#117 of 14520.4% gross enrolment#38 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#94 of 190an index of 0.764#25 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#100 of 185$6,340 a person#22 of 45 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#87 of 184$22,602 a person#22 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#26 of 187+6.3% a year#12 of 45 in Asia
- Unemployment#109 of 1784.3% of the labour force#22 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#80 of 17821.9% of jobs#23 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#24 of 17828.6% of jobs#10 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#122 of 17849.5% of jobs#31 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#112 of 1841.4% of GDP#24 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#151 of 16814.5% of GDP#36 of 42 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#144 of 19188 subscriptions per 100 people#37 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#16 of 18510.9 tonnes a person#10 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#164 of 1925% forest#33 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#183 of 1900.1% renewable#41 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#45 of 19131.2 µg/m³#22 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#168 of 1914.3% of the land protected#40 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#144 of 1903.5% of the land arable#34 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#9 of 176135.2% of its available fresh water#6 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#168 of 180161 mm a year#40 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Turkmenistan’s area, lit up on the map →
- Spain0.97×Turkmenistan and Spain are almost exactly the same size.
- Cameroon1.03×Turkmenistan is 3% larger than Cameroon.
- Thailand0.96×Turkmenistan is 4% smaller than Thailand.
- Papua New Guinea1.06×Turkmenistan is 6% larger than Papua New Guinea.
- Yemen1.08×Turkmenistan is 8% larger than Yemen.
- Uzbekistan1.09×Turkmenistan is 9% larger than Uzbekistan.
How many times does Turkmenistan fit into…
- Russia: about 35 times
- Canada: about 20 times
- United States: about 20 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Turkmenistan shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Aýrybaba3,139 m
- Mount Arlan1,880 m
Lakes
- Sarygamysh Köli3,955 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Turkmenistan. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Turkmenistan
- How big is Turkmenistan?
- Turkmenistan covers 491,210 km², which makes it number 51 of 194 countries by area. About 7,618,847 people live there (2025), 16 per km².
- Is Turkmenistan bigger than Spain?
- Turkmenistan and Spain are almost exactly the same size. Turkmenistan: 491,210 km²; Spain: 505,990 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Turkmenistan?
- At about 39° latitude, Mercator stretches Turkmenistan to roughly 1.66× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Turkmenistan?
- Turkmenistan shares a land border with Kazakhstan, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan.