Largest Cities and Urban Settlements by Population in Turkmenistan

43 cities and urban settlements in Turkmenistan with 15,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by population at the census of December 17, 2022 (by State Committee for Statistics, Turkmenistan).

RankCity or Urban SettlementAlso Known AsPopulation
1AshgabatAşgabat1,030,063
2TürkmenabatChärjew, Čardžou230,861
3DaşoguzTašauz201,142
4Mary-167,027
5BalkanabatNebitdag123,190
6TürkmenbaşyTurkmenbashi, Krasnovodsk91,745
7Baýramaly-70,376
8Tejen-67,488
9GyzylarbatSerdar, Kizyl-Arvat48,552
10MagdanlyGowurdak44,508
11BoldumsazKalinin39,582
12BäherdenBaharly37,588
13Konye-UrgenchKöneürgenç37,176
14AndalypGurbansoltan Eje36,594
15Gökdepe-33,381
16Kaka-33,315
17Kerki-32,489
18Sarahs-31,269
19Gumdag-30,884
20Ýolöten-30,709
21SeýdiNeftezavodsk29,670
22ÄnewAnnau28,653
23Akdepe-28,045
24GöroglyTagta26,770
25BereketGazanjyk23,697
26Saýat-21,619
27Gazojak-21,035
28Halaç-20,778
29Saparmyrat TürkmenbaşyOktýabrsk20,720
30Farap-20,547
31ŞabatNyýazow, Täzebazar19,392
32GubadagTelmansk18,950
33KöýtendagÇarşangy18,816
34Türkmengala-16,696
35SerhetabatGuşgy, Kuška16,038
36DänewGalkynyş15,409
37MagtymgulyGarrygala15,386
38Garabekewül-15,135
39Jebel-15,056
40Kerkiçi-14,996
41Murgap-14,822
42HazarÇeleken14,671
43Arkadag-567

Source: State Committee for Statistics, Turkmenistan (2022 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.

Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.

Tokyo

33,338,852

Urban area

9,953,160

23 wards

Essen

2,709,375

Urban area

573,618

City of Essen

Ankara

3,630,865

Urban area

5,186,002

Metropolitan municipality

What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.

Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.

11 urban areas in Turkmenistan with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.

RankUrban AreaPopulation Estimate (2026)Yearly ChangeLand Area (km²)Density (P/km²)World RankProjections (2030)Projections (2050)
1Aşgabat (Ashgabat)1,238,407+1.62%1388,9484161,318,7451,758,326
2Mary282,077+0.68%923,0662,079289,696312,213
3Turkmenabat248,718+0.73%653,8262,381255,933293,532
4Dashoguz220,247+3.94%514,2852,718254,958301,258
5Balkanabat98,604+1.20%204,8346,348103,338120,233
6Yasmansalyk91,175+8.70%352,6206,887122,883158,656
7Andalyp87,404+0.91%283,1227,20090,572111,143
8Turkmenbashy66,909+1.05%242,7429,37769,70681,922
9Gyzylarbat66,313+1.09%183,6449,46769,19283,625
10Konye-Urgench64,225+1.24%183,5299,78067,41974,908
11Bayramaly53,477+1.22%182,93811,62656,08780,864

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.

See also