The State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan signed a Reimbursable Consulting Agreement with the World Bank Group (IBRD) to improve the country's statistical system for 2026–2027. The signing ceremony took place on June 22, according to Turkmenportal.org.
The signing of this agreement can be seen as an important step toward increasing the transparency and quality of the country's macroeconomic statistics. In recent years, the reliability of Turkmenistan's official data has repeatedly been the subject of debate among international financial institutions and experts. In particular, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has abandoned its reliance on the country's official statistics and developed its own methods for assessing economic dynamics.
The transition to the 2025 SNA international standards, improved GDP calculations, and participation in the International Comparison Program (ICP) will improve the comparability of Turkmen macroeconomic indicators with data from other countries. Of particular importance is the digitalization of statistical surveys of households and the labor market, which should improve the quality of primary data and reduce the likelihood of errors in their processing.
For Turkmenistan, whose economy is largely dependent on natural gas exports and public investment, the availability of a reliable statistical database is an important factor in attracting foreign investors and strengthening cooperation with international financial institutions. The project's implementation could signal the country's readiness to more openly disclose economic information, which could, in the long term, increase confidence in official macroeconomic indicators and improve the investment climate.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 25, 2026