Turkmenistan receives official development assistance (ODA) which is government aid designed to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries. ODA is a category used by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure foreign aid flow. In 2021 Turkmenistan’s third biggest ODA donor was the United States of America. From 2001-2024 fiscal years the US government has disbursed $219,084,704 in foreign assistance to Turkmenistan. Among other donors that Turkmenistan has close relations with but were not on the top ten donors are Turkey and Russia, which provided $872,766 and $199,108 respectively in 2021.
We collected data from publicly available sources such as ODA flows by recipient countries from OECD and ForeignAssistance.gov, which is the U.S. government’s website to publish U.S. foreign assistance data. When looking at the US assistance to Turkmenistan we specifically focused on disbursements as they refer to the actual amount funded by the US government for the foreign aid projects in Turkmenistan.
Figure 1. Top Ten Donors of Gross ODA for Turkmenistan, 2020-2021 average, USD million
Source: OECD.
From 2006-2007, the year when the president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was first elected, the US foreign aid to Turkmenistan almost doubled, increasing from $7.9 million to $14.2 million. It increased again in 2008 reaching its peak at $22.3 million. From 2011 onwards the US foreign aid to Turkmenistan decreased steadily.
Figure 2. Disbursed US Foreign Assistance to Turkmenistan (in current USD)
Source: ForeignAssistance.gov.
*The years 2023 and 2024 are partially reported.
The three biggest sectors where the US government provided assistance to Turkmenistan are: Economic development – $67 million, Peace and Security – $54.6 million and Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance – $42 million.
Figure 3. Disbursed US Foreign Assistance to Turkmenistan by Different Sectors, 2001-2024 (in current USD)
Source: ForeignAssistance.gov.
*The years 2023 and 2024 are partially reported.
The two major sectors, economy and security, together accounted for 53% of the US assistance to Turkmenistan during the 2001-2024 period.
Figure 4. Disbursed US Foreign Assistance to Turkmenistan by Major Sectors, 2001-2024 (in current USD)
Source: ForeignAssistance.gov.
*The years 2023 and 2024 are partially reported.
It is interesting to note that under Elections and Political Processes the US government provided $267,295 to Turkmenistan for Political Competition and Consensus-Building in 2011-2013, which was around the presidential elections in 2012.
Figure 5. The US Foreign Assistance to Turkmenistan by Different Sectors 2001-2024 (in current USD)
Source: ForeignAssistance.gov.
*The years 2023 and 2024 are partially reported.
The social sector received a relatively small share of US aid. Under health, the major areas were Tuberculosis ($5.2million), HIV/AIDS ($2.3million), and Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Threats ($2.2million) while under education basic ($5.1million) and higher ($2.9 million) education were the top priorities.
Meanwhile, under the democratic institutions the biggest areas were Civil Society ($22.7million) and good governance ($10.6million). Almost $11 million went to direct administrative costs.
Environment received a relatively small share of the US foreign assistance although this might change in the coming months as reducing methane emissions in Turkmenistan is one of the priority areas for US involvement in Turkmenistan.
The top four agencies that managed the US foreign assistance to Turkmenistan are the USAID, the State Department, the Department of Defence and Peace Corps. Cumulatively, these agencies managed over 96% of the US foreign assistance to Turkmenistan, with USAID alone handling 48.7% of assistance. The largest amount managed by the USAID was 8.3 million in 2009. Peace Corps was the managing agency from 2001 until the program was stopped in 2014. From 2020-2024 it was mainly the USAID and the State Department managing the US foreign assistance to Turkmenistan.
Figure 6. The Top Agencies that Managed the US Foreign Assistance to Turkmenistan, 2001-2024
Source: ForeignAssistance.gov.
*The years 2023 and 2024 are partially reported.
The Department of Defense managed near ⅕ of the US foreign assistance. In 2005, 2008 and 2010 the aid managed by the Department of Defense increased significantly overpassing all other funding agencies. In 2005 the Department of State oversaw around $6 million of the US foreign assistance to Turkmenistan. This coincided with the US and Afghanistan signing the Strategic Partnership Agreement signaling a shift towards a more long-term US involvement in Afghanistan. During this period the US also prioritized countering extremism, promoting economic development and securing supply routes for US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, which involved neighboring countries like Turkmenistan. Moreover, following the election of president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov the US foreign aid managed via the Department of Defence increased in 2008 and 2010, reaching $9.8 million and $10.4 million, respectively.
Figure 7. The Top Agencies that Managed the US Foreign Assistance to Turkmenistan Overtime (in current USD)
Source: ForeignAssistance.gov.
*The years 2023 and 2024 are partially reported
While the US government assistance to Turkmenistan has decreased overtime the priority areas remain constant with greater focus on democratic institutions and economic development.
