Form of government: republic with one legislative body (Majlis [50]).
Head of state and government: President.
Capital: Ashgabat.
Official language: Turkmen.
Official religion: none.
Monetary unit: manat; valuation (Oct. 4, 1995) 1 U.S.$=200.00
manat; 1 
=316.18
manat.
Population (1995): 4,081,000.
Density (1995): persons per sq mi 21.7, persons per sq km 8.4.
Urban-rural (1992): urban 45.1%; rural 54.9%.
Sex distribution (1992): male 49.32%; female 50.68%.
Age breakdown (1989): under 15, 40.5%; 15-29, 28.8%; 30-44, 15.5%; 45-59, 9.1%; 60-74, 4.7%; 75 and over, 1.4%.
Population projection: (2000) 4,474,000; (2010) 5,277,000.
Doubling time: 27 years.
Ethnic composition (1992): Turkmen 73.3%; Russian 9.8%; Uzbek 9.0%; Kazakh 2.0%; Tatar 0.9%; other 5.0%.
Religious affiliation: believers are predominantly Sunni Muslim (Sufi).
Major cities (1991): Ashkhabad 416,400; Chardzhou 166,400; Dashovuse 117,000; Mariy 94,900; Nebit-Dag 89,100.
Birth rate per 1,000 population (1993): 33.1 (world avg. 25.0); (1992) legitimate 96.5%; illegitimate 3.5%.
Death rate per 1,000 population (1992): 7.9 (world avg. 9.3).
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1992): 25.2 (world avg. 15.7).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1993): 3.8.
Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1993): 10.7.
Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1993): 1.4.
Life expectancy at birth (1993): male 61.4 years; female 68.6 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1992): diseases of the circulatory system 333.8; diseases of the respiratory system 140.7; infectious and parasitic diseases 75.2; accidents, poisoning, and violence 62.7; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 62.3; diseases of the digestive system 28.2; diseases of the nervous system (1989) 9.1; endocrine and metabolic disorders (1989) 8.0.
Budget (1992). Revenue: 62,719,000,000 rubles (tax revenue 52.5%, of which turnover tax 26.3%, company profit tax 19.6%, individual income tax 4.8%, excise tax 1.9%; nontax revenue 47.5%). Expenditures: 94,882,000,000 rubles (1991; social and cultural affairs 56.9%, of which social security 26.7%, education and science 19.7%, health 9.4%; national economy 39.0%; government administration 2.7%).
Public debt (external, outstanding; 1992): U.S.$650,000,000.
Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1994): seed cotton 1,300,000, vegetables 672,000, grain 360,000, fruit 249,000; livestock (number of live animals) 6,314,000 sheep and goats, 1,104,000 cattle, 159,000 pigs, 7,000,000 poultry; roundwood (1990) 4,000,000 cu m; fish catch (1993) 37,000. Mining and quarrying (1993): sulfur 200,000; sodium sulphate 200,000. Manufacturing (value of production in '000,000 manat; 1993): textiles 1,999; petroleum products 950; food products 764; construction materials 327; clothing 311; chemical products 129; wood products 58; machine-building equipment 56. Construction (1992): 20,754,000 sq m. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1992) 13,100,000,000 (13,100,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1992) none (269,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1992) 35,184,000 (43,386,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1991) 500,000 (500,000); natural gas (cu m; 1992) 60,107,000,000 (11,197,000,000).
Population economically active (1992): total: 1,572,900; activity rate of total population 40.8% (participation rates: ages 16-59 [male], 16-54 [female] 81.0%; female 50.5%; unemployed [1991] 20-25%).
Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1989) 5.6; income per household: n.a.; sources of income (1992): wages and salaries 73.5%, pensions and grants 17.3%, income from agriculture sales 6.6%, nonwage income of workers 2.6%; expenditure (1992): food and clothing 65.4%, services 9.7%, taxes and other payments 8.6%.
Gross national product (at current market prices; 1993): U.S.$4,898,390,000 (U.S.$1,270 per capita){1}.
Tourism: n.a.
Land use (1993): forested 8.2%; meadows and pastures 63.1%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 3.1%; other 25.6%.
Imports (1992): 5,497,000,000 rubles (machinery and transport equipment 30.3%, manufactured items 21.8%, food 17.1%, chemicals 6.5%). Major import sources: Russia 35.1%; Kazakhstan 11.8%; Azerbaijan 8.5%; Uzbekistan 8.1%; Ukraine 4.6%.
Exports (1992): 7,906,000,000 (fuels and lubricants 42.3%, manufactured items 38.1%, chemicals 5.5%, food 4.0%). Major export destinations: Russia 20.1%; Ukraine 17.5%; Uzbekistan 17.0%; Kazakhstan 8.1%; Georgia 6.7%;
Transport. Railroads (1991): length 1,317 mi, 2,120 km; passengers transported 5,900,000; short ton cargo 20,700,000, metric ton cargo 22,800,000. Roads (1990): total length 8,300 mi, 13,400 km (paved 86%). Vehicles (1988): passenger cars 170,600; trucks and buses, n.a. Merchant marine: vessels (100 gross tons and over) n.a.; total deadweight tonnage, n.a. Air transport (1989): passenger-mi 2,021,000,000, passenger-km 3,253,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 222,000,000, metric ton-km cargo 324,200,000; airports (1995) with scheduled flights 1.
Communications. Daily newspapers (1989): total number 66; total circulation 1,141,000; circulation per 1,000 population 319. Radio (1991): 823,000 receivers (1 per 5.2 persons). Televisions (1991): 705,000 receivers (1 per 6.1 persons). Telephones (main lines; 1993): 265,100 (1 per 14.9 persons).
Educational attainment (1989). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: primary education or no formal schooling 13.6%; some secondary 21.3%; completed secondary and some postsecondary 56.8%; higher 8.3%. Literacy (1989): total population age 15 and over literate 3,453,000 (97.7%); males literate 1,714,000 (98.8%); females literate 1,739,000 (96.6%).
Health (1994): physicians 14,000 (1 per 285 persons); hospital beds 47,000 (1 per 85 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births 45.9.
Total active duty personnel (1995): CIS joint-control forces 25,000 (100% army). Military expenditure as a percentage of GNP (1993): 1.5% (world 3.3%); per capita expenditure U.S.$18.