Key Stats
| Category | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Continent: | Asia |
| Capital: | Ashgabat |
| Population: | 6,516,100 |
| % Urban: | 53 % |
| Population Under 15 Yrs: | 30.8 % |
| Official Language: | Turkmen using Latin script as in Turkey since 1994; previously Cyrillic script |
| Languages: | 9 |
| Literacy Rate: | 100 % |
| Life Expectancy: | 69.3 yrs (169/236) |
| HDI Ranking: | 111 / 189 |
| % Christian: | 1.8 % |
| % Evangelical: | 0 % |
| Largest Religion: | Muslim |
| % Largest Religion: | 96.2 % |
| People Groups: | 39 |
| Least Reached People Groups: | 30 |
| % Unevangelized: | 63 % |
| Persecution Ranking: | 26 / 50 |
Turkmenistan
The former dictator (Niyazov) named himself “the father of all Turkmen”, and people followed him as a kind of cult leader. He spent money on elaborate monuments to himself rather than on development for the people. His death brought hope for positive change, and Turkmen citizens may now travel abroad and within the country more easily. Pray that the government of President Berdimuhamedow will respect the human rights and religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution.
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Content taken or adapted from Operation World, 7th Edition (2010) and Pray for the World (2015). Both books are published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.