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Economy of Turkmenistan vs Vietnam compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

Turkmenistan has a GDP of $64.2B compared to $476B for Vietnam, ranking 88/197 and 34/197 by economy size, respectively.

Turkmenistan has $2.97B in government debt (4.5% of GDP), compared to $157B (33.6% of GDP) in Vietnam.

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

Turkmenistan
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Vietnam
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
Turkmenistan Vietnam
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1984 - - - $34,363,462,780
1985 - - $14,094,687,821 $35,671,286,576
1986 - - $26,336,616,250 $36,666,262,767
1987 $2,331,358,820 $9,134,688,479 $36,658,108,850 $37,980,187,158
1988 $3,010,982,414 $10,141,662,024 $25,423,812,649 $39,930,474,201
1989 $3,006,988,217 $9,710,101,902 $6,293,304,975 $42,871,159,123
1990 $3,189,539,641 $13,145,978,552 $6,471,740,806 $45,057,981,855
1991 $3,208,098,919 $12,540,571,637 $9,613,369,520 $47,743,817,832
1992 $3,200,539,816 $10,663,751,367 $9,866,990,236 $51,871,770,981
1993 $3,179,225,949 $10,823,707,656 $13,180,953,598 $56,059,239,339
1994 $2,561,118,608 $8,951,221,334 $16,286,433,533 $61,014,304,827
1995 $2,482,228,440 $8,306,729,733 $20,736,164,459 $66,835,362,482
1996 $2,378,759,975 $8,863,279,974 $24,657,470,575 $73,077,797,034
1997 $2,450,350,625 $7,852,866,037 $26,843,700,442 $79,035,160,538
1998 $2,605,689,134 $8,410,419,553 $27,209,602,050 $83,591,107,164
1999 $2,450,564,100 $9,798,138,737 $28,683,659,007 $87,581,401,292
2000 $2,904,663,311 $10,334,005,228 $31,172,518,403 $93,525,828,109
2001 $3,534,772,732 $10,782,898,471 $32,685,198,809 $99,317,782,863
2002 $4,462,029,109 $10,810,629,921 $35,064,105,501 $105,595,482,131
2003 $5,977,440,583 $11,164,010,880 $39,552,513,232 $112,880,581,486
2004 $6,838,351,088 $11,722,256,910 $45,427,854,693 $121,387,725,605
2005 $8,103,901,996 $13,250,139,963 $57,633,255,738 $130,549,157,968
2006 $10,276,674,365 $14,704,118,675 $66,371,664,817 $139,658,819,217
2007 $12,664,165,103 $16,330,291,194 $77,414,425,532 $149,615,800,998
2008 $19,271,523,179 $18,730,843,999 $99,130,304,099 $158,086,705,343
2009 $20,214,385,965 $19,873,425,505 $106,014,659,565 $166,620,063,722
2010 $22,583,157,895 $21,701,780,649 $147,201,173,197 $177,322,478,338
2011 $29,233,333,333 $24,891,942,389 $172,595,049,184 $188,694,468,366
2012 $35,164,210,526 $27,654,947,984 $195,590,661,129 $199,081,239,732
2013 $39,197,543,860 $30,475,752,707 $213,708,811,665 $210,137,237,901
2014 $43,524,210,526 $33,614,755,226 $233,451,469,643 $223,632,762,208
2015 $35,799,714,286 $35,799,714,286 $239,258,328,382 $239,258,328,382
2016 $36,169,428,571 $38,019,296,559 $257,096,001,178 $255,264,731,908
2017 $37,926,285,714 $40,490,550,854 $281,353,605,987 $272,980,590,259
2018 $40,765,428,571 $43,000,964,983 $310,106,478,395 $293,358,610,037
2019 $45,232,857,143 $45,710,025,795 $334,365,270,497 $314,947,640,806
2020 $45,818,000,000 $48,406,917,339 $346,615,738,538 $323,972,192,107
2021 $50,007,428,571 $51,408,146,222 $366,474,752,771 $332,245,562,395
2022 $58,972,000,000 $54,595,451,255 $413,445,230,669 $360,611,028,838
2023 $60,628,857,143 $58,035,050,719 $433,857,681,378 $378,876,063,687
2024 $64,239,891,739 $59,349,032,300 $476,388,230,307 $405,742,875,628

Economic indicators

Turkmenistan Vietnam
Gross domestic product
$64.2B
2024
$476B
2024
GDP rank
88/197
2024
34/197
2024
GDP growth
5.96%
2023-2024
9.8%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$8,572
2024
$4,717
2024
GDP per capita rank
91/197
2024
123/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$20,408
2024
$16,386
2024
Government debt
$2.97B
2024
$157B
2024
Debt-to-GDP ratio
4.5%
2025
33.6%
2025
Government debt per person
$396
2024
$1,550
2024
Government debt per person rank
172/185
2024
127/185
2024
Average annual personal income after taxes
$8,974
2025
$4,107
2025
Market capitalization of domestic companies n/a
$205B
2024
Number of billionaires n/a
5
2025
Income share by richest 10%
31.5%
1998
28.1%
2022
Income share by poorest 10%
2.4%
1998
2.6%
2022
Government expenditure, % of GDP
11.1%
2025
22%
2025
Consumer prices inflation
3.9%
2024-2025
3.4%
2024-2025
Central bank interest rate n/a
4.5%
2023
Unemployment rate
4%
2010
1.65%
2023
Population
7713465
102063551

GDP per capita in Turkmenistan vs Vietnam

Turkmenistan's GDP per capita is $8,572, ranking 91/197, compared to $4,717 in Vietnam, ranking 123/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Turkmenistan ranks 94th at $20,408, while Vietnam ranks 108th at $16,386.

Turkmenistan
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Vietnam
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
Turkmenistan Vietnam
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1985 - - $238.6 -
1986 - - $436 -
1987 $675 - $595 -
1988 $846 - $405 -
1989 $821 - $98.1 -
1990 $848 $5,321 $98.8 $1,210
1991 $832 $5,117 $143.7 $1,298
1992 $811 $4,351 $144.5 $1,413
1993 $788 $4,422 $189.4 $1,534
1994 $622 $3,659 $229.9 $1,674
1995 $592 $3,405 $287.8 $1,841
1996 $558 $3,636 $337 $2,019
1997 $565 $3,222 $362 $2,189
1998 $591 $3,432 $361 $2,308
1999 $546 $3,981 $376 $2,421
2000 $634 $4,209 $404 $2,614
2001 $756 $4,401 $419 $2,809
2002 $936 $4,393 $445 $3,002
2003 $1,229 $4,536 $497 $3,240
2004 $1,379 $4,798 $565 $3,543
2005 $1,604 $5,489 $711 $3,894
2006 $1,997 $6,164 $808 $4,237
2007 $2,415 $6,901 $926 $4,581
2008 $3,606 $7,916 $1,164 $4,844
2009 $3,708 $8,285 $1,226 $5,061
2010 $4,059 $8,972 $1,683 $5,389
2011 $5,144 $10,283 $1,951 $5,786
2012 $6,054 $11,035 $2,185 $6,377
2013 $6,600 $11,723 $2,360 $6,758
2014 $7,164 $12,477 $2,546 $7,297
2015 $5,759 $12,715 $2,578 $7,672
2016 $5,687 $12,919 $2,735 $8,375
2017 $5,828 $13,278 $2,956 $9,170
2018 $6,125 $14,368 $3,222 $10,010
2019 $6,648 $15,478 $3,441 $11,029
2020 $6,593 $15,091 $3,534 $11,609
2021 $7,051 $16,434 $3,704 $12,049
2022 $8,156 $18,340 $4,148 $13,905
2023 $8,233 $19,829 $4,323 $15,034
2024 $8,572 $20,408 $4,717 $16,386

Spending and national debt comparison

In 2024, Turkmenistan's government spending was $7.26B, accounting for 11.1% of its GDP, while Vietnam's spent $95.2B, or 22% of GDP.

Debt-to-GDP ratio is 4.5% in Turkmenistan and 33.6% in Vietnam, ranking 183/185 and 154/185, respectively.

Turkmenistan
Government spending

Government debt
Vietnam
Government spending

Government debt
Year % of GDP
Turkmenistan Vietnam
Government spending Government debt Government spending Government debt
1997 14.6% 84.9% - -
1998 14.2% 107.9% 16% -
1999 11.3% 88.2% 16.7% -
2000 14.1% 72.9% 17.8% 24.8%
2001 12.3% 45.1% 19.2% 25.4%
2002 10.6% 32% 19.7% 27.7%
2003 11.3% 22.4% 22.2% 29.8%
2004 11% 15.1% 19.4% 29.4%
2005 11.5% 9.01% 20.6% 28.7%
2006 8.74% 5.59% 20.5% 30.2%
2007 7.86% 4.05% 22.3% 32.2%
2008 6.36% 4.71% 21.4% 31%
2009 7.84% 4.08% 25% 36.2%
2010 8.86% 6.21% 23.7% 37.3%
2011 9.62% 10% 21.2% 36.2%
2012 10.3% 13.8% 23.5% 38.3%
2013 13% 16% 24.5% 41.4%
2014 13.2% 12.3% 22.8% 43.6%
2015 13.8% 14.5% 24.2% 46.1%
2016 11.9% 18.5% 22.2% 47.9%
2017 14.7% 20% 21.5% 46.6%
2018 11.4% 18.7% 20.5% 43.8%
2019 11.6% 15.3% 19.8% 41%
2020 11.8% 13.3% 21.3% 41.3%
2021 10.9% 10.7% 20.1% 39.2%
2022 9.44% 5.77% 18.2% 34.9%
2023 10.9% 4.66% 19.3% 34.4%
2024 11.3% 4.62% 20% 32.9%
2025 11.1% 4.5% 22% 33.6%

Government deficit by year

In 2024, Turkmenistan's government surplus, the difference between spending and revenue, was $204M, equivalent to 0.32% of GDP. This compares to Vietnam's deficit of -$7.43B, or -1.56% of GDP.

Over the past 27 years, Turkmenistan recorded a fiscal deficit in 7 of those years, while Vietnam ran a deficit in 25 years. On average, Turkmenistan posted an annual surplus equal to +1.12% of GDP, compared to deficit of -2.08% of GDP for Vietnam.

Deficit/surplus
Turkmenistan

Vietnam
Year Deficit/surplus, % of GDP
Turkmenistan Vietnam
1997 -0.11% -
1998 0.63% -0.1%
1999 1.35% -1.25%
2000 -0.3% -1.61%
2001 0.42% -2.19%
2002 0.1% -1.85%
2003 2.17% -2.56%
2004 0.8% -0.15%
2005 0.47% -0.95%
2006 3.07% 0.2%
2007 2.28% -1.74%
2008 5.85% -0.45%
2009 4.11% -4.82%
2010 1.29% -2.25%
2011 2.4% -0.9%
2012 5.27% -5.46%
2013 1.18% -5.96%
2014 0.69% -5.02%
2015 -0.56% -4.98%
2016 -2.01% -3.16%
2017 -2.35% -1.96%
2018 -0.18% -1.02%
2019 -0.34% -0.4%
2020 -0.14% -2.86%
2021 0.46% -1.43%
2022 2.45% 0.67%
2023 0.75% -2.44%
2024 0.32% -1.56%
2025 0.17% -3.39%

Inflation comparison by year

Over the past 30 years, Turkmenistan has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 43.4%, compared with 5.57% in Vietnam. In 2025, inflation was 3.9% in Turkmenistan and 3.4% in Vietnam.

Inflation
Turkmenistan

Vietnam
Year Inflation
Turkmenistan Vietnam Turkmenistan Vietnam
1996 992% 5.6%
1997 83.7% 3.1%
1998 16.8% 8.1%
1999 23.5% 4.1%
2000 8% -1.8%
2001 11.6% -0.4%
2002 8.8% 3.8%
2003 5.6% 3.1%
2004 5.9% 7.8%
2005 10.7% 8.3%
2006 8.2% 7.7%
2007 6.3% 8.4%
2008 14.5% 23.3%
2009 -2.7% 6.7%
2010 4.4% 9.1%
2011 5.3% 18.7%
2012 5.3% 9.1%
2013 6.8% 6.6%
2014 6% 4.1%
2015 7.4% 0.6%
2016 3.6% 2.7%
2017 8% 3.5%
2018 13.3% 3.5%
2019 5.1% 2.8%
2020 6.1% 3.2%
2021 19.5% 1.8%
2022 11.2% 3.2%
2023 -1.6% 3.3%
2024 4.6% 3.6%
2025 3.9% 3.4%

Balance of trade

Turkmenistan Vietnam
Current account balance
n/a
$28B
2024
Current account balance ranking n/a
18/189
2024
Current account balance, % of GDP n/a
+5.89%
2024
Goods imports n/a
$362B
2024
Goods exports n/a
$406B
2024
Service imports n/a
$36.2B
2024
Service exports n/a
$23.9B
2024
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
12.5%
2023
78.4%
2023
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
21.6%
2023
86.5%
2023

Economic freedom indices

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

Turkmenistan Vietnam
Economic freedom 47.1 65.2
Economic freedom ranking 178/197 67/197
Property rights 17.7 49.9
Government integrity 7.3 39.1
Judicial effectiveness 8.2 35
Tax burden 94.2 81.8
Government spending 96.7 88.8
Fiscal health 100 95.8
Business freedom 37.4 73.9
Labor freedom 33.9 54.5
Monetary freedom 75.1 73.9
Trade freedom 74.2 79.8
Investment freedom 10 60
Financial freedom 10 50

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for Turkmenistan is 47.1, ranking 178/197, compared to 65.2 for Vietnam, ranking 67/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.

Turkmenistan
Vietnam
Year Economic freedom index
Turkmenistan Vietnam
1995 - 41.7
1996 - 40.2
1997 - 38.6
1998 35 40.4
1999 36.1 42.7
2000 37.6 43.7
2001 41.8 44.3
2002 43.2 45.6
2003 51.3 46.2
2004 50.7 46.1
2005 47.6 48.1
2006 43.8 50.5
2007 43 49.8
2008 43.4 50.4
2009 44.2 51
2010 42.5 49.8
2011 43.6 51.6
2012 43.8 51.3
2013 42.6 51
2014 42.2 50.8
2015 41.4 51.7
2016 41.9 54
2017 47.4 52.4
2018 47.1 53.1
2019 48.4 55.3
2020 46.5 58.8
2021 47.4 61.7
2022 46.2 60.6
2023 46.5 61.8
2024 46.3 62.8
2025 47.1 65.2

More economic indicators

Turkmenistan Vietnam
Services, % of GDP
49.4%
2023
42.4%
2024
Industry, % of GDP
39.3%
2023
37.6%
2024
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
11.3%
2023
11.9%
2024
GNI, Atlas method
$62.9B
2024
$454B
2024
GNI per capita, PPP
$20,220
2024
$15,850
2024
Total reserves including gold
$1.51B
1999
$83.1B
2024
Total reserves ranking
135/177
1999
30/177
2024
Net foreign direct investment
n/a
-$19.6B
2024
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$1.64B
2024
$20.2B
2024
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
n/a
$600M
2024
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
1.93%
2023
6.96%
2023
Poverty at national poverty lines
0.2%
2020
4.2%
2022
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
47.2%
2012
31.6%
2023

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.