Turkmenistan Government Effectiveness

Turkmenistan’s Government Effectiveness score has remained firmly in the low‑performance band of the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, registering –1.28 in 2025, which places it 179th among all reporting economies. The index, which measures the quality of public services, the capacity of the civil service and the credibility of policy formulation, showed its highest reading of –0.53 in 2014, a modest improvement that was quickly eroded by a sharp decline to an all‑time trough of –1.57 in 2005. Over the 26‑year coverage period the country’s score has moved only marginally, from –1.15 in 1996 to the current –1.28, indicating persistent challenges in bureaucratic capacity and policy implementation. Relative to peers, Turkmenistan’s figure aligns closely with Nicaragua’s –1.28 and is slightly worse than Bosnia and Herzegovina’s –1.18, underscoring a regional lag in governance reforms. Continued investment in civil‑service training, transparent budgeting and accountability mechanisms would be required to reverse the downward trajectory and lift the effectiveness rating in the coming years.