Eastern Europe
Making aliyah from Turkmenistan
182 people moved from Turkmenistan to Israel between 2015 and 2025, including 20 in 2025. Here is what the official record shows about them, and what the process looks like from Turkmenistan specifically.
Olim in 2025
20
granted oleh status on arrival
Total since 2015
182
11 years of the record
Busiest year
2019
44 arrivals
Most chosen town
Holon
109 people
Settlement concentration
Not ranked: Turkmenistan has fewer than 1,000 olim on the detailed record, so its top three towns say more about one absorption programme than about a pattern.
The record
Aliyah from Turkmenistan, in the ministry's own files
Every arrival counted once, in the year they landed and the town they registered in.
Arrivals from Turkmenistan by year
Where they settled
Absorption town recorded on arrival.
- 1Holon109
- 2Rishon LeZion18
- 3Haifa12
- 4Afula7
- 5Karmiel6
- 6Hadera5
- 7Bat Yam4
- 8Acre3
- 9Ashdod3
- 10Rehovot2
Age on arrival
32% arrived as children, 4% at 65 or over.
- 10-1759
- 218-2429
- 325-3453
- 435-4922
- 550-6412
- 665+7
What they did before moving
Occupation recorded at registration. "School pupil" and "student" reflect how many arrive as dependants.
- 1Not stated59
- 2School pupil23
- 3Homemaker12
- 4Retired5
- 5Not specified5
- 6Economist4
- 7Professional services3
- 8Manual worker3
Destination
More went to Holon than anywhere else
109 of the 182 arrivals from Turkmenistan registered in Holon, ahead of Rishon LeZion, Haifa, Afula.
That is 60% of everyone arriving from Turkmenistan, against 1.5% of olim from all countries.
The town is recorded once, on arrival, so the chart above shows where people registered rather than where they live now.
How it works
The process from Turkmenistan
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
The Jewish Agency organises assisted departures, and in emergencies has run dedicated flights.
Russian-speaking olim have long-established communities in Haifa, Netanya, Bat Yam, Ashdod and Nof HaGalil.
Documents are the slow part everywhere: birth certificates, proof of Jewish descent, police clearance and, in most countries, apostilles. Start collecting before you open the file, not after. The full sequence is in the aliyah guide.
Arriving with Russian as your first language, ulpan is the single biggest determinant of how fast your first year goes. New olim are entitled to free Hebrew study, and the Hebrew alphabet and essential phrases pages are a no-cost head start.
Before you go
Work out what your money is worth: the cost of living page has rent, groceries and salaries in real numbers, and the shekel converter gives today's rate.
A market stall in Jerusalem with prices marked in shekels.
Check the calendar you are moving into: holiday dates close the country for whole weeks in autumn and spring, and Shabbat times govern the week.
A sesame-topped challah loaf, freshly baked.
See how Turkmenistan compares with everywhere else on the full statistics explorer.
An open-plan office floor of screens and desks.
Aliyah from elsewhere in Eastern Europe
Total arrivals 2015 to 2025, in brackets.
Start here
The move itself, in six steps
Eligibility, opening the file, the documents, the visa, landing day and the absorption benefits that follow. The guide is the same wherever you are starting from.
Frequently asked questions
How many people make aliyah from Turkmenistan each year?+
20 in 2025, and 182 in total between 2015 and 2025. The strongest single year was 2019, with 44 arrivals.
Where do olim from Turkmenistan settle?+
Holon takes the largest share, followed by Rishon LeZion, Haifa, Afula. 60% of olim from Turkmenistan settled in Holon, against 1.5% of olim overall.
Who handles an aliyah application from Turkmenistan?+
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
Is aliyah from Turkmenistan mostly families or individuals?+
Of the 182 arrivals recorded, 32% were children under 18 and 4% were 65 or over. That is a family-heavy profile.
Source: Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, published on data.gov.il. Figures count people granted oleh status on arrival. Rebuilt 2026-08-05.