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Turkmenistan
The Economy
Turkmenistan's economy is predominantly agricultural. Agriculture
accounts for almost half of the gross domestic product (GDP--see
Glossary) and more than two-fifths of total employment, whereas
industry accounts for about one-fifth of GDP and slightly more
than one-tenth of total employment. In 1988 the per capita net
material product (NMP--see Glossary) output was 61 percent of
the Soviet average, fourth lowest of the Soviet republics. In
1991, 17.2 percent of the work force was engaged in private-sector
occupations such as farming, individual endeavors, and employment
on agreement; 0.7 percent worked in rented enterprises, and the
rest worked for state enterprises, social organizations, and collective
farms.
Macroeconomic indicators of the performance of Turkmenistan's
national economy have differed widely in the late Soviet and early
independence years, making precise assessment difficult. According
to one source, the per capita GDP was US$2,509 in 1992, placing
it higher than Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but lower than Kazakstan
and much lower than some of the other former Soviet republics.
Another source lists a 17 percent increase in industrial output
between 1991 and 1992. On the other hand, several sources agree
that the NMP aggregate figure for 1992 was a 15 percent decline
from the previous year (see table 6, Appendix). One source claims
that GDP in Turkmenistan increased by 8.5 percent in 1993, while
another regards as suspect the statistical methods applied to
the data on which this figure is based.
Data as of March 1996
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