The State Statistics Committee, in partnership with UNICEF, has officially launched the key results of the latest Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in Turkmenistan. The data from the Key Indicators Report and thematic snapshots were presented to representatives of national ministries, UN agencies, EU and other international organizations, informing development cooperation frameworks and programmes.

The Global MICS Programme has become the single largest source of comparable data on the lives of children and their families. It is anchored in information collected through face-to-face interviews with individual respondents in a representative sample of households, designed around a set of globally agreed indicators. Since the first round of MICS was launched in the mid-1990s, seven rounds were conducted globally, and Turkmenistan participated in five.

MICS7 has the largest coverage of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators of any global household survey program. It is equipped to provide crucial data on children, adolescents, and their families, crucial for informing policy, planning, and programming for children worldwide.

For MICS7, the State Statistics Committee interviewed over 6,600 households across all five regions and Ashgabat city, with a response rate of 98.3 percent. The survey generated data at both national and regional levels, disaggregated by age, gender, residence, wealth, and ethnic group.

The results offer insights into a wide range of topics, including child and maternal health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation, reproductive health, child protection, social benefits, and access to information. Notably, 29 indicators contribute directly to monitoring SDG targets. While MICS is not new to Turkmenistan, this round introduced new elements — including a questionnaire for men and additional indicators — to enhance the survey’s alignment with global SDG priorities, particularly SDG 5 on gender equality and SDG 16 on non-discrimination.

“The launch of MICS7—the latest round of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey—is not just a technical achievement. It is a statement of commitment. A commitment to evidence, to transparency, and to putting children at the heart of national development that demonstrates the strong leadership of the State Statistics Committee and Government of Turkmenistan in delivering high-quality data. The results reflect two years of meticulous work, made possible through technical, financial, and methodological support from the Government of Turkmenistan, UNICEF, UNFPA, and the European Union. We would also like to thank the interviewers who visited over six thousand households across the country and all the interviewed families for actively participating” said Jalpa Ratna, UNICEF Representative in Turkmenistan.

Various activities in support of MICS7 in Turkmenistan were conducted in the framework of the project “Strengthening National Child Rights Data and Evidence Generation Capacities and Systems in Turkmenistan” co-funded by the European Union. The project aims to support evidence-based policymaking, and stronger monitoring and evaluation capacities for child rights.

About MICS:

The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) is a comprehensive household survey program developed by UNICEF to provide internationally comparable, reliable, and up-to-date data on the situation of children and women. MICS surveys measure key indicators that allow countries to monitor progress towards national goals and global commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Turkmenistan has participated in the MICS since 1995.