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Economy of Nauru vs Turkmenistan compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

Nauru has a GDP of $160M compared to $64.2B for Turkmenistan, ranking 195/197 and 88/197 by economy size, respectively.

Nauru has $28.2M in government debt (15.2% of GDP), compared to $2.97B (4.5% of GDP) in Turkmenistan.

The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.

Nauru
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Turkmenistan
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
Nauru Turkmenistan
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1970 $17,570,366 $265,597,277 - -
1971 $19,009,433 $273,295,314 - -
1972 $21,734,269 $281,216,471 - -
1973 $26,529,817 $289,367,215 - -
1974 $35,994,511 $297,754,198 - -
1975 $40,106,776 $306,384,268 - -
1976 $40,287,427 $297,754,198 - -
1977 $40,444,702 $289,367,215 - -
1978 $41,754,147 $281,216,471 - -
1979 $44,431,330 $273,295,314 - -
1980 $46,947,124 $265,597,277 - -
1981 $51,689,637 $258,116,073 - -
1982 $52,877,742 $250,845,596 - -
1983 $48,439,093 $243,779,910 - -
1984 $47,363,231 $236,913,245 - -
1985 $41,548,741 $230,239,999 - -
1986 $39,939,391 $223,754,720 - -
1987 $40,118,410 $217,452,114 $2,331,358,820 $9,134,688,479
1988 $45,931,134 $211,327,039 $3,010,982,414 $10,141,662,024
1989 $53,736,786 $205,374,490 $3,006,988,217 $9,710,101,902
1990 $55,572,376 $199,589,610 $3,189,539,641 $13,145,978,552
1991 $52,533,789 $161,680,011 $3,208,098,919 $12,540,571,637
1992 $51,133,123 $135,390,360 $3,200,539,816 $10,663,751,367
1993 $43,542,088 $113,568,991 $3,179,225,949 $10,823,707,656
1994 $39,742,511 $109,178,266 $2,561,118,608 $8,951,221,334
1995 $39,969,706 $100,527,536 $2,482,228,440 $8,306,729,733
1996 $37,458,801 $88,605,472 $2,378,759,975 $8,863,279,974
1997 $37,331,507 $80,672,081 $2,450,350,625 $7,852,866,037
1998 $29,664,451 $71,162,476 $2,605,689,134 $8,410,419,553
1999 $27,328,613 $66,488,375 $2,450,564,100 $9,798,138,737
2000 $26,930,980 $61,929,804 $2,904,663,311 $10,334,005,228
2001 $22,613,288 $57,742,675 $3,534,772,732 $10,782,898,471
2002 $21,017,424 $51,984,931 $4,462,029,109 $10,810,629,921
2003 $24,778,160 $52,132,910 $5,977,440,583 $11,164,010,880
2004 $30,587,566 $49,883,465 $6,838,351,088 $11,722,256,910
2005 $30,282,840 $49,706,055 $8,103,901,996 $13,250,139,963
2006 $29,183,627 $53,845,954 $10,276,674,365 $14,704,118,675
2007 $23,068,623 $41,900,065 $12,664,165,103 $16,330,291,194
2008 $37,184,925 $50,439,678 $19,271,523,179 $18,730,843,999
2009 $44,024,970 $47,588,861 $20,214,385,965 $19,873,425,505
2010 $47,442,299 $47,512,730 $22,583,157,895 $21,701,780,649
2011 $65,444,174 $54,352,013 $29,233,333,333 $24,891,942,389
2012 $100,794,925 $68,091,833 $35,164,210,526 $27,654,947,984
2013 $94,385,015 $70,575,646 $39,197,543,860 $30,475,752,707
2014 $98,752,257 $82,166,522 $43,524,210,526 $33,614,755,226
2015 $84,383,389 $84,383,389 $35,799,714,286 $35,799,714,286
2016 $97,276,023 $88,065,239 $36,169,428,571 $38,019,296,559
2017 $108,862,279 $82,771,435 $37,926,285,714 $40,490,550,854
2018 $130,937,590 $81,762,350 $40,765,428,571 $43,000,964,983
2019 $124,871,111 $88,701,305 $45,232,857,143 $45,710,025,795
2020 $124,530,027 $90,459,205 $45,818,000,000 $48,406,917,339
2021 $175,513,985 $96,978,233 $50,007,428,571 $51,408,146,222
2022 $152,190,819 $99,840,564 $58,972,000,000 $54,595,451,255
2023 $151,455,968 $100,485,943 $60,628,857,143 $58,035,050,719
2024 $160,350,640 $102,254,749 $64,239,891,739 $59,349,032,300

Economic indicators

Nauru Turkmenistan
Gross domestic product
$160M
2024
$64.2B
2024
GDP rank
195/197
2024
88/197
2024
GDP growth
5.87%
2023-2024
5.96%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$13,422
2024
$8,572
2024
GDP per capita rank
75/197
2024
91/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$14,327
2024
$20,408
2024
Government debt
$28.2M
2024
$2.97B
2024
Debt-to-GDP ratio
15.2%
2025
4.5%
2025
Government debt per person
$2,360
2024
$396
2024
Government debt per person rank
114/185
2024
172/185
2024
Average annual personal income after taxes
$8,196
2025
$8,974
2025
Income share by richest 10%
25.3%
2012
31.5%
1998
Income share by poorest 10%
3.4%
2012
2.4%
1998
Government expenditure, % of GDP
135%
2025
11.1%
2025
Consumer prices inflation
6.1%
2024-2025
3.9%
2024-2025
Unemployment rate
5.06%
2021
4%
2010
Population
12088
7713465

GDP per capita in Nauru vs Turkmenistan

Nauru's GDP per capita is $13,422, ranking 75/197, compared to $8,572 in Turkmenistan, ranking 91/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Nauru ranks 118th at $14,327, while Turkmenistan ranks 94th at $20,408.

Nauru
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Turkmenistan
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
Nauru Turkmenistan
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1970 $2,619 - - -
1971 $2,811 - - -
1972 $3,191 - - -
1973 $3,864 - - -
1974 $5,199 - - -
1975 $5,740 - - -
1976 $5,703 - - -
1977 $5,646 - - -
1978 $5,721 - - -
1979 $5,950 - - -
1980 $6,138 - - -
1981 $6,594 - - -
1982 $6,577 - - -
1983 $5,896 - - -
1984 $5,654 - - -
1985 $4,859 - - -
1986 $4,569 - - -
1987 $4,485 - $675 -
1988 $5,012 - $846 -
1989 $5,723 - $821 -
1990 $5,776 $16,443 $848 $5,321
1991 $5,333 $13,451 $832 $5,117
1992 $5,103 $11,324 $811 $4,351
1993 $4,310 $9,646 $788 $4,422
1994 $3,921 $9,439 $622 $3,659
1995 $3,932 $8,849 $592 $3,405
1996 $3,679 $7,928 $558 $3,636
1997 $3,661 $7,332 $565 $3,222
1998 $2,909 $6,540 $591 $3,432
1999 $2,683 $6,204 $546 $3,981
2000 $2,649 $5,920 $634 $4,209
2001 $2,232 $5,666 $756 $4,401
2002 $2,085 $5,205 $936 $4,393
2003 $2,463 $5,335 $1,229 $4,536
2004 $3,041 $5,241 $1,379 $4,798
2005 $3,014 $5,392 $1,604 $5,489
2006 $2,908 $6,030 $1,997 $6,164
2007 $2,302 $4,826 $2,415 $6,901
2008 $3,715 $5,928 $3,606 $7,916
2009 $4,395 $5,624 $3,708 $8,285
2010 $4,724 $5,668 $4,059 $8,972
2011 $6,481 $6,582 $5,144 $10,283
2012 $9,817 $8,261 $6,054 $11,035
2013 $8,975 $8,501 $6,600 $11,723
2014 $9,193 $9,858 $7,164 $12,477
2015 $7,703 $10,020 $5,759 $12,715
2016 $8,724 $10,371 $5,687 $12,919
2017 $9,613 $9,770 $5,828 $13,278
2018 $11,409 $9,740 $6,125 $14,368
2019 $10,777 $10,640 $6,648 $15,478
2020 $10,696 $10,942 $6,593 $15,091
2021 $14,990 $12,197 $7,051 $16,434
2022 $12,896 $13,347 $8,156 $18,340
2023 $12,754 $13,830 $8,233 $19,829
2024 $13,422 $14,327 $8,572 $20,408

Spending and national debt comparison

In 2024, Nauru's government spending was $198M, accounting for 135% of its GDP, while Turkmenistan's spent $7.26B, or 11.1% of GDP.

Debt-to-GDP ratio is 15.2% in Nauru and 4.5% in Turkmenistan, ranking 177/185 and 183/185, respectively.

Nauru
Government spending

Government debt
Turkmenistan
Government spending

Government debt
Year % of GDP
Nauru Turkmenistan
Government spending Government debt Government spending Government debt
1997 - - 14.6% 84.9%
1998 - - 14.2% 107.9%
1999 - - 11.3% 88.2%
2000 - - 14.1% 72.9%
2001 - - 12.3% 45.1%
2002 - - 10.6% 32%
2003 - - 11.3% 22.4%
2004 - - 11% 15.1%
2005 - - 11.5% 9.01%
2006 - - 8.74% 5.59%
2007 - - 7.86% 4.05%
2008 - - 6.36% 4.71%
2009 68% 246.7% 7.84% 4.08%
2010 73.8% 242.5% 8.86% 6.21%
2011 44.7% 188.9% 9.62% 10%
2012 46% 123.1% 10.3% 13.8%
2013 66% 126.9% 13% 16%
2014 61.3% 112.5% 13.2% 12.3%
2015 85.4% 82.2% 13.8% 14.5%
2016 96% 61.2% 11.9% 18.5%
2017 102.3% 78% 14.7% 20%
2018 90.8% 71.1% 11.4% 18.7%
2019 106% 59.6% 11.6% 15.3%
2020 109.4% 56.3% 11.8% 13.3%
2021 93% 20.5% 10.9% 10.7%
2022 134.8% 22.4% 9.44% 5.77%
2023 118.1% 20.5% 10.9% 4.66%
2024 123.5% 17.6% 11.3% 4.62%
2025 135% 15.2% 11.1% 4.5%

Government deficit by year

In 2024, Nauru's government surplus, the difference between spending and revenue, was $48.3M, equivalent to 30.1% of GDP. This compares to Turkmenistan's surplus of $204M, or 0.32% of GDP.

Over the past 16 years, Nauru recorded a fiscal deficit in 0 of those years, while Turkmenistan ran a deficit in 6 years. On average, Nauru posted an annual surplus equal to +19.4% of GDP, compared to surplus of +0.83% of GDP for Turkmenistan.

Deficit/surplus
Nauru

Turkmenistan
Year Deficit/surplus, % of GDP
Nauru Turkmenistan
1997 - -0.11%
1998 - 0.63%
1999 - 1.35%
2000 - -0.3%
2001 - 0.42%
2002 - 0.1%
2003 - 2.17%
2004 - 0.8%
2005 - 0.47%
2006 - 3.07%
2007 - 2.28%
2008 - 5.85%
2009 0.37% 4.11%
2010 0.09% 1.29%
2011 2.73% 2.4%
2012 8.12% 5.27%
2013 1.71% 1.18%
2014 29.6% 0.69%
2015 10.7% -0.56%
2016 18.9% -2.01%
2017 16.2% -2.35%
2018 29.6% -0.18%
2019 31% -0.34%
2020 42.8% -0.14%
2021 44.5% 0.46%
2022 24.3% 2.45%
2023 19.4% 0.75%
2024 30.1% 0.32%
2025 10.8% 0.17%

Inflation comparison by year

Over the past 21 years, Nauru has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 4.9%, compared with 6.95% in Turkmenistan. In 2025, inflation was 6.1% in Nauru and 3.9% in Turkmenistan.

Inflation
Nauru

Turkmenistan
Year Inflation
Nauru Turkmenistan Nauru Turkmenistan
1996 - 992%
1997 - 83.7%
1998 - 16.8%
1999 - 23.5%
2000 - 8%
2001 - 11.6%
2002 - 8.8%
2003 - 5.6%
2004 - 5.9%
2005 8.7% 10.7%
2006 19.3% 8.2%
2007 5.6% 6.3%
2008 1% 14.5%
2009 22.4% -2.7%
2010 -2% 4.4%
2011 -3.4% 5.3%
2012 0.3% 5.3%
2013 -1.1% 6.8%
2014 0.3% 6%
2015 9.8% 7.4%
2016 8.1% 3.6%
2017 4.5% 8%
2018 1.1% 13.3%
2019 4.1% 5.1%
2020 0.9% 6.1%
2021 2% 19.5%
2022 1.1% 11.2%
2023 4.8% -1.6%
2024 9.3% 4.6%
2025 6.1% 3.9%

Balance of trade

Nauru Turkmenistan
Current account balance
$1.92M
2023
n/a
Current account balance ranking
74/189
2023
n/a
Current account balance, % of GDP
+1.27%
2023
n/a
Goods imports
$89M
2023
n/a
Goods exports
$31.8M
2023
n/a
Service imports
$61.2M
2023
n/a
Service exports
$33.1M
2023
n/a
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
118.7%
2024
12.5%
2023
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
39.5%
2024
21.6%
2023

Economic freedom indices

The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.

Nauru Turkmenistan
Economic freedom 60 47.1
Economic freedom ranking 96/197 178/197
Property rights n/a 17.7
Government integrity n/a 7.3
Judicial effectiveness n/a 8.2
Tax burden n/a 94.2
Government spending n/a 96.7
Fiscal health n/a 100
Business freedom n/a 37.4
Labor freedom n/a 33.9
Monetary freedom n/a 75.1
Trade freedom n/a 74.2
Investment freedom n/a 10
Financial freedom n/a 10

More economic indicators

Nauru Turkmenistan
Services, % of GDP n/a
49.4%
2023
Industry, % of GDP n/a
39.3%
2023
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP n/a
11.3%
2023
GNI, Atlas method
$254M
2024
$62.9B
2024
GNI per capita, PPP
$23,210
2024
$20,220
2024
Total reserves including gold n/a
$1.51B
1999
Total reserves ranking n/a
135/177
1999
Net foreign direct investment
$3.11M
2023
n/a
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
-$280K
2024
$1.64B
2024
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$6.17M
2024
n/a
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
n/a
1.93%
2023
Poverty at national poverty lines n/a
0.2%
2020
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
n/a
47.2%
2012

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.