Turkmenistan, home to the world’s fourth-largest proven natural gas reserves, produced 39.1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in the first half of 2026, up slightly from 38.9 bcm in the same period a year earlier, according to official data released reported by Reuters .

State broadcaster Altyn Asyr, citing official statistics, said most of the country’s gas exports continue to be shipped to China, which has been Turkmenistan’s largest gas buyer for nearly two decades. Smaller volumes are exported to Uzbekistan.

Despite the modest year-on-year increase in first-half output, full-year gas production in 2026 is expected to be slightly below last year’s level.

Turkmengaz Chairman Maksat Babayev said in April that the country plans to produce about 76 bcm of natural gas in 2026.

Turkmenistan produced 76.5 bcm of natural gas in 2025, down from 77.6 bcm in 2024.

The state broadcaster also reported a slight increase in crude oil production, which reached 4.129 million metric tons during the first half of 2026, compared with 4.091 million metric tons in the corresponding period of 2025.