Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Canada, you would:
Health
be 14.5% less likely to be obese
In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 27.6% less likely to die by suicide
Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.9 years less
In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 83.5% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 31.5% fewer doctors per person
Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
have 17.6% less access to essential health services
Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Turkmenistan scores 75 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 88.3% less money
Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
be 58.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 73.2% less likely to have internet access
In Canada, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 11.4% less on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 51.4% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 70.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.7% less home broadband
Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
live with 36.3 times more strain on fresh water
Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
use 80.3% less electricity
Canada uses 14,093 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan uses 2,778 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 22.5% less CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.