BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 7. Turkmenistan's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.3% in the first seven months of 2026, driven by strong growth in transport, trade and services.
This was reflected in a statement published by the press service of the Turkmen government following a Cabinet of Ministers meeting chaired by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
"The GDP growth rate for the first seven months of the year reached 6.3 percent," the statement said.
According to the statement, the transport and communications sector posted the fastest growth at 10.3% during the January-July period. Trade expanded by 8.5%, the services sector by 8.4%, construction by 6.7%, agriculture by 4.1% and industry by 2.6%.
Although Turkmenistan remains one of the world's largest natural gas exporters, hydrocarbons are no longer the only driver of its economic strategy. In recent years, Ashgabat has increasingly invested in transport infrastructure, logistics, petrochemicals, manufacturing and trade in an effort to diversify sources of economic growth. Large-scale public investment has also supported expansion in construction and services, while agriculture continues to play an important role in employment and domestic food production.
The continued outperformance of the transport and communications sector reflects Turkmenistan's broader ambition to strengthen its role as a regional transit hub. The growing importance of the Middle Corridor, or the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, has further increased the economic significance of Turkmenistan's transport sector.
Against this backdrop, the International Transport Forum (ITF) told Trend in an exclusive interview that the Middle Corridor would retain its strategic importance as a diversified Asia-Europe route, while Turkmenistan could benefit from Caspian transit routes toward Azerbaijan.
"The Middle Corridor would nevertheless retain strategic value as a diversified Asia–Europe route that avoids both Russia and Iran. It will continue to benefit from strong political and investment support for Eurasian connectivity," ITF said.
