Share of the population using the Internet in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: Share of the population using the Internet was 18.0% in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population using the Internet in Turkmenistan, 1990–2016
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Turkmenistan recorded 18.0% for share of the population using the internet in 2016. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of up 20.0% on the previous year and up 1,263.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population using the internet in Turkmenistan peaked at 18.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
Turkmenistan ranks 197th of 208 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population using the Internet in Turkmenistan, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1999 | 0.0% | — |
| 2000 | 0.1% | +196.2% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +31.5% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +72.4% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | +40.7% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +77.3% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +32.3% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +32.3% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | +6.6% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | +24.4% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | +53.8% |
| 2011 | 5.0% | +66.7% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | +43.9% |
| 2013 | 9.6% | +33.4% |
| 2014 | 12.2% | +27.1% |
| 2015 | 15.0% | +22.9% |
| 2016 | 18.0% | +20.0% |
Turkmenistan compared with similar countries
- Turkmenistan's 18.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 81.5%, 22% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Turkmenistan's 18.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 91.9%, 20% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population using the Internet in Turkmenistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +196.2% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.1% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.0% | 3.0% | 18.0% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Turkmenistan
- 194 Papua New Guinea 18.8% compare
- 195 Madagascar 18.7% compare
- 196 Sudan 18.6% compare
- 198 Yemen 17.5% compare
- 199 Zambia 17.1% compare
- 200 Afghanistan 16.1% compare
More science & technology data for Turkmenistan
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 88.19 (2021)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.8819 units per person (2021)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 6.25 million (2021)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 13.31 units per square kilometre (2021)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -0.575 % change on previous year (2021)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.46 % change on previous year (2021)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 31.31 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population using the internet in Turkmenistan?
- Share of the population using the internet in Turkmenistan was 18.0% in 2016, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population using the internet recorded in Turkmenistan?
- The highest recorded value was 18.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of the population using the internet recorded in Turkmenistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does Turkmenistan rank for share of the population using the internet?
- Turkmenistan ranks 197th out of 208 countries with data for 2016.
- Is share of the population using the internet rising or falling in Turkmenistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1,263.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Turkmenistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population who used the Internet in the last three months.