Afghanistan vs Turkmenistan
Afghanistan vs Turkmenistan: GDP growth
GDP growth: 1.9% a year in Afghanistan in 2024 and 3.6% a year in Turkmenistan in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Turkmenistan, by 1.5 percentage points, or 1.82 times that in Afghanistan.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Turkmenistan has been higher since 2016, when it overtook Afghanistan.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Afghanistan at 1.5% a year in 2025.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Turkmenistan at 2.6% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Afghanistan | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.5 | 3.6 |
| 2024 | 1.9 | 3.4 |
| 2023 | 2.3 | 4.3 |
| 2022 | -6.2 | 3.3 |
| 2021 | -14.5 | 9.9 |
| 2020 | -2.4 | -1.6 |
| 2019 | 3.9 | 5.1 |
| 2018 | 1.2 | 4.8 |
| 2017 | 2.6 | 4.3 |
| 2016 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0.8 |
| 2014 | 2.7 | 5.2 |
| 2013 | 5.7 | 10.2 |
| 2012 | 14 | 16.9 |
| 2011 | 6.5 | 21.5 |
| 2010 | 8.4 | 17.2 |
| 2009 | 20.6 | 6.1 |
| 2008 | 3.9 | 14.8 |
| 2007 | 13.3 | 11.1 |
| 2006 | 5.4 | 11 |
| 2005 | 11.8 | 13 |
| 2004 | 0.7 | 14.7 |
| 2003 | 8.7 | 17.1 |
| 2002 | – | 15.8 |
| 2001 | – | 20.4 |
| 2000 | – | 18.6 |
| 1999 | – | 16.5 |
| 1998 | – | 6.7 |
| 1997 | – | -11.3 |
| 1996 | – | -6.7 |
| 1995 | – | -7.2 |
| 1994 | – | -17.3 |
| 1993 | – | -10 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Afghanistan | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | – | 2.4 |
| 2027 | – | 2.5 |
| 2028 | – | 2.5 |
| 2029 | – | 2.6 |
| 2030 | – | 2.6 |
| 2031 | – | 2.6 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Afghanistan vs Turkmenistan
Health
- Life expectancyAfghanistan: 66 years in 2023Turkmenistan: 70.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityAfghanistan: 5.3 per 100 live births in 2024Turkmenistan: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 44 per 1,000 live births in 2023Turkmenistan: 31.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterAfghanistan: 30% in 2022Turkmenistan: 94.9% in 2022
- DepressionAfghanistan: 4.14% in 2017Turkmenistan: 2.82% in 2017
- Suicide rateAfghanistan: 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Turkmenistan: 8.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationAfghanistan: 41.5 million people in 2023Turkmenistan: 7.36 million people in 2023
- Population growthAfghanistan: 2.85% a year in 2023Turkmenistan: 1.8% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateAfghanistan: 4.84 births per woman in 2023Turkmenistan: 2.69 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationAfghanistan: 25.9% in 2025Turkmenistan: 47.1% in 2025
- Median ageAfghanistan: 16.9 years in 2023Turkmenistan: 26.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overAfghanistan: 2.4% in 2023Turkmenistan: 4.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateAfghanistan: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Turkmenistan: 2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingAfghanistan: 1.83% of GDP in 2021Turkmenistan: 3.11% of GDP in 1999
- Military spending in US dollarsAfghanistan: $8.55M in 1977Turkmenistan: $188M in 1999
- Military spending per personAfghanistan: $7 in 2021Turkmenistan: $25 in 1999
- Military share of state spendingAfghanistan: 5% of government spending in 2020Turkmenistan: 15% of government spending in 1999
- Armed forces personnelAfghanistan: 165,000 people in 2020Turkmenistan: 57,000 people in 2020
- National powerAfghanistan: 0.29% of world capability in 2022Turkmenistan: 0.13% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersAfghanistan: 1.82% of the labour force in 2020Turkmenistan: 2.87% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsAfghanistan: 65 million TIV in 2021Turkmenistan: 382 million TIV in 2021