Demographics of Turkmenistan

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Demographics of Turkmenistan
Population pyramid of Turkmenistan in 2020
Population7,057,841 [1] (2022 est.)
Growth rate0.99% (2022 est.)
Birth rate17.51 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy71.83 years
 • male68.8 years
 • female75 years
Fertility rate2.03 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate37.62 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate-1.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years25.44%
65 and over5.38%
Sex ratio
Total0.98 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
Under 151.03 male(s)/female
65 and over0.59 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityTurkmenistani
Language
OfficialTurkmen

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.

Population of Turkmenistan (in millions) from 1950 to 2009.

Demographic trends[edit]

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.[2] The population of Turkmenistan increased from 1.5 million in the 1959 census to 4.5 million in the 1995 census.[3] The population continued growing to over 5 million in 2001–2006.[4] According to opposition media, Turkmenistan's population in 2019 was no more than 3.3 million.[5] 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.[6]

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.[5] Between 2013 and 2019, the number of emigrants to Russia from Turkmenistan doubled.[7] 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.[8][9][10][11][12]

A once-in-a-decade national census was conducted December 17–27, 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.[13][14] 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.[15][16] However, offshore media disputed that figure, with one source claiming it came out of "thin air".[17] Official population estimates are likely too high, given known emigration trends.[18] Population growth has been offset by emigration in search of permanent employment.[citation needed]

Vital statistics[edit]

UN estimates[edit]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR1 CDR1 NC1 TFR1 IMR1
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 75.5
1995-2000 106 000 34 000 73 000 25.0 7.8 17.2 3.03 61.3
2000-2005 108 000 36 000 72 000 23.3 7.7 15.6 2.76 51.7
2005-2010 108 000 38 000 70 000 22.1 7.8 14.3 2.50 50.5
2010-2015 21.5 7.8 13.7 2.34
2015-2020 20.0 7.8 12.2 2.22
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

[19]

Registered births and deaths[edit]

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude 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

[20][21]

Fertility and Births[edit]

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[22]

Life expectancy in Turkmenistan since 1950
Life expectancy in Turkmenistan since 1960 by gender
Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
2000 24.6 2.89 (2.66) 20.5 2.46 (2.29) 28.2 3.30 (3.00)

Life expectancy[edit]

Period Life expectancy in
Years
Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 51.3 1985–1990 62.8
1955–1960 53.4 1990–1995 62.7
1960–1965 55.5 1995–2000 63.2
1965–1970 57.6 2000–2005 64.2
1970–1975 59.2 2005–2010 65.8
1975–1980 60.2 2010–2015 67.3
1980–1985 61.8

Source: UN World Population Prospects[23]

Ethnic groups[edit]

The table shows the ethnic composition of Turkmenistan's population (in percent) between 1926 and 1995.[3] 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).[24]

Population of Turkmenistan according to ethnic group 1926–2012
Ethnic
group
census 19261 census 19392 census 19593 census 19704 census 19795 census 19896 census 19957 census 20128
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 4,066,959 85.6
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 9.2 275,565 5.8
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 6.7 242,307 5.1
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 19,004 0.4
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 49,852 1.2
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
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
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
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
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 1.7 142,285 3.1
Total 1,000,914 1,251,883 1,516,375 2,158,880 2,764,848 3,522,717 4,434,354 4,751,120
1 Source: [1]. 2 Source: [2] Archived 21 December 2012 at archive.today. 3 Source: [3]. 4 Source: [4]. 5 Source: [5]. 6 Source: [6]. 7 Source: [7] 8 Source: [8]

Azerbaijanis in Turkmenistan[edit]

Population density of Turkmenistan by regions.

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 Ashabad (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.

Turkmenistan population by region

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.[25]

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics[edit]

Population pyramid 2016

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook as of September 2018, unless otherwise indicated.[26]

Languages[edit]

Religion[edit]

Ethnic groups[edit]

Age structure[edit]

  • 0-14 years: 25.79% (male 699,612/female 680,583)
  • 15-24 years: 18.39% (male 495,025/female 488,930)
  • 25-54 years: 43.18% (male 1,147,044/female 1,163,762)
  • 55-64 years: 7.9% (male 199,363/female 223,443)
  • 65 years and over: 4.74% (male 110,505/female 143,010) (2017 est.)

Median age[edit]

  • total: 27.9 years
  • male: 27.5 years
  • 28.4 years (2017 est.)

Sex ratio[edit]

  • at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
  • under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
  • 15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
  • 25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
  • 55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
  • total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total fertility rate[edit]

  • 2.03 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Population growth rate[edit]

  • 1.12% (2017 est.)

Life expectancy at birth[edit]

  • total population:70.4 years
  • male:67.4 years
  • female:73.6 years (2017 est.)

Nationality[edit]

  • noun:Turkmen(s)
  • adjective:Turkmen

Literacy[edit]

  • definition:age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population:98.8%
  • male: 99.3%
  • female: 98.3% (1999 est.)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "«Ilat ýazuwy — 2022»: Türkmenistanyň ilaty 7 million 57 müň 841 adama deň boldy | Jemgyýet". 30 June 2023.
  2. ^ Скосырев, П. (1948). "Туркменистан в цифрах". In Михайлова, Н.Н. (ed.). Туркменистан. Наша Родина (in Russian). Moscow: Молодая гвардия.
  3. ^ a b Population census of Turkmenistan 1995, Vol. 1, State Statistical Committee of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 1996.
  4. ^ "Demoscope Weekly - Annex. Information-analytical system. 4 step". Demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Источник: За 10 лет из Туркменистана выехало почти 1,9 миллиона человек" (in Russian). RFE/RL. 29 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Источники: Туркменистан в состоянии депопуляции. В стране осталось 2,7 миллиона населения" (in Russian). RFE/RL. 2 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Эмиграция. Ваши истории на «Хронике Туркменистана»". Хроника Туркменистана (in Russian). 20 July 2019.
  8. ^ Волков, Виталий (5 July 2018). "Почему власти Туркмении создают препятствия своим трудовым мигрантам" (in Russian). Deutsche Welle.
  9. ^ "Rising Emigration from Turkmenistan". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. 8 October 2012.
  10. ^ Najibullah, Farangis (8 June 2019). "Escape From Turkmenistan: Almost 2 Million Have Fled, But The President Looks The Other Way". RFE/RL.
  11. ^ Baumgartner, Pete (16 April 2018). "Turkmenistan Clips Wings of Citizens Fleeing Economic Woes". RFE/RL.
  12. ^ "Turkmenezuela-Turkmenistan finds a novel solution to mass emigration-It is simply stopping people from leaving". The Economist. 5 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Тайная перепись. Как в Туркменистане прошло важнейшее статистическое исследование" (in Russian). Turkmen.News. 10 January 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Turkmenistan: Deaths of despair | Eurasianet". eurasianet.org. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  15. ^ Расширенное заседание Кабинета Министров Туркменистана (in Russian), Туркменистан сегодня, 14 July 2023
  16. ^ «Ilat ýazuwy — 2022»: Türkmenistanyň ilaty 7 million 57 müň 841 adama deň boldy (in Turkmen), Turkmenportal, 14 July 2023
  17. ^ 'Out Of Thin Air': Turkmen Unconvinced By New Census Results Amid Severe Population Decline, RFE/RL, 24 July 2023
  18. ^ Moya Flynn (2004). Migrant Resettlement in the Russian Federation: Reconstructing 'homes' and 'homelands'. Anthem Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-84331-117-1. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  19. ^ "The 2015 Revision of World Population Prospects". Esa.un.org. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  20. ^ "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  21. ^ Естественное движение населения республик СССР, 1935 [Natural population growth of the Republics of the USSR, 1935] (in Russian). Demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  22. ^ "Turkmenistan : 2000 Demographic and Health Survey" (PDF). Dhsprogram.com. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  23. ^ "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  24. ^ Ethnic composition of Turkmenistan in 2001, Demoscope Weekly, No. 37-38, 8–21 October 2001.
  25. ^ Guseynov, Farhadbey; Nazarov, Bahruz (6 April 2017). "Turkmenistan azerbaijanis". Oil and Industry: 62,63. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  26. ^ "Central Asia :: TURKMENISTAN". CIA The World Factbook. 25 July 2023.