Asia: countries, population and rankings 2026

01Its sub-regions

The 5 sub-regions of Asia

Each card gives the sub-region’s median position and a bar from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country; the photographs are the three most populous members with a banner. Every country follows below.

- Uzbekistan
- Kazakhstan
- Tajikistan
Central Asia
Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
104th
median of 174 · 5 of 5 placed
Kazakhstan 62nd → Turkmenistan 133rd
- China
- Japan
- South Korea
Eastern Asia
Countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan.
18th
median of 174 · 4 of 8 placed
South Korea 16th → Mongolia 80th
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Vietnam
South-eastern Asia
+1Countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam.
90th
median of 174 · 11 of 11 placed
Singapore 21st → Myanmar 152nd
- India
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
Southern Asia
Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
109th
median of 174 · 9 of 9 placed
Maldives 50th → Afghanistan 171st
- Türkiye
- Iraq
- Yemen
Western Asia
+9Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Northern Cyprus, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
80th
median of 174 · 17 of 19 placed
Cyprus 36th → Yemen 172nd

Every country in Asia

Central Asiamedian 104th

Eastern Asiamedian 18th

China
Hong Kongnot placed
Japan
Macaunot placed
Mongolia
North Koreanot placed
South Korea
Taiwannot placed

South-eastern Asiamedian 90th

Southern Asiamedian 109th

Western Asiamedian 80th

02The region

About Asia

The largest continent by land and people — five UN sub-regions from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.

Asia is the largest continent by land and by people. In the UN’s classification it stretches from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea to the Pacific, and from the steppes of Kazakhstan and Mongolia to the islands of South-eastern Asia, holding the highest mountains in the world in the Himalaya, deserts and plateaus at its centre, and monsoon lands in the south and east.

It saw the first cities of Mesopotamia, the civilisations of the Indus valley and China, and the birth of most of the world’s major religions. Trade routes such as the Silk Roads linked its regions to one another and to Europe and Africa for millennia. The UN divides it into five sub-regions, from Western Asia to Eastern Asia; Russia is counted in Europe.

03Where

Asia on the map

Each member shaded by its position in the Country Index 2026, darkest for the best placed; the countries across its land borders in grey. Hover a country for its position, or select it to open its profile.

Country Index position: 1st174thMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks

04Country Index 2026

Where Asia’s countries place

Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 174, never a second list within the region; “=” marks a position shared with another country. Hover the ⓘ for where a country would sit if any one key statistic were dropped.

The full Country Index 2026

Asia’s 46 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In region	Country	Sub-region	In the world
1	South Korea	Eastern Asia	16 / 174between 13th and 21st if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
2	Japan	Eastern Asia	18 / 174between 14th and 23rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
3	Singapore	South-eastern Asia	21 / 174between 10th and 25th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
4	Cyprus	Western Asia	36 / 174between 35th and 38th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
5	United Arab Emirates	Western Asia	37 / 174between 35th and 40th if any one key were dropped · standings on 10 of 12 topics
6	Israel	Western Asia	39 / 174between 37th and 41st if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
7	Qatar	Western Asia	48 / 174between 41st and 54th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
8	Maldives	Southern Asia	50 / 174between 47th and 53rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 9 of 12 topics
9	Malaysia	South-eastern Asia	51 / 174between 46th and 54th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
10	China	Eastern Asia	52 / 174between 48th and 56th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
11	Bhutan	Southern Asia	54 / 174between 48th and 61st if any one key were dropped · standings on 10 of 12 topics
12	Thailand	South-eastern Asia	61 / 174between 58th and 66th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
13	Kazakhstan	Central Asia	62 / 174between 56th and 70th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
13	Saudi Arabia	Western Asia	62 / 174between 52nd and 78th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
15	Georgia	Western Asia	66 / 174between 62nd and 74th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
16	Vietnam	South-eastern Asia	68 / 174between 61st and 81st if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
17	Armenia	Western Asia	71 / 174between 64th and 80th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
18	Brunei	South-eastern Asia	77 / 174between 66th and 83rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 9 of 12 topics
19	Oman	Western Asia	78 / 174between 65th and 90th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
20	Bahrain	Western Asia	80 / 174between 62nd and 93rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
20	Mongolia	Eastern Asia	80 / 174between 69th and 91st if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
22	Kuwait	Western Asia	84 / 174between 63rd and 90th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
23	Türkiye	Western Asia	89 / 174between 82nd and 94th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
24	Indonesia	South-eastern Asia	90 / 174between 81st and 95th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
25	Timor-Leste	South-eastern Asia	91 / 174between 79th and 101st if any one key were dropped · standings on 10 of 12 topics
26	Uzbekistan	Central Asia	92 / 174between 81st and 98th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
27	Sri Lanka	Southern Asia	96 / 174between 87th and 98th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
28	India	Southern Asia	97 / 174between 90th and 99th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
29	Philippines	South-eastern Asia	98 / 174between 91st and 100th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
30	Azerbaijan	Western Asia	101 / 174between 96th and 104th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
31	Kyrgyzstan	Central Asia	104 / 174between 98th and 109th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
32	Nepal	Southern Asia	109 / 174between 101st and 114th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
33	Jordan	Western Asia	114 / 174between 104th and 117th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
34	Tajikistan	Central Asia	116 / 174between 108th and 122nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
35	Laos	South-eastern Asia	120 / 174between 109th and 123rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
36	Cambodia	South-eastern Asia	123 / 174between 114th and 126th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
37	Bangladesh	Southern Asia	131 / 174between 122nd and 135th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
38	Turkmenistan	Central Asia	133 / 174between 125th and 135th if any one key were dropped · standings on 10 of 12 topics
39	Lebanon	Western Asia	135 / 174between 128th and 142nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
40	Iran	Southern Asia	146 / 174between 140th and 151st if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
41	Myanmar	South-eastern Asia	152 / 174between 142nd and 156th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
42	Pakistan	Southern Asia	154 / 174between 146th and 156th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
43	Iraq	Western Asia	161 / 174between 154th and 165th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics
44	Syria	Western Asia	169 / 174between 161st and 170th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics
45	Afghanistan	Southern Asia	171 / 174between 163rd and 172nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 10 of 12 topics
46	Yemen	Western Asia	172 / 174between 165th and 173rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics

A further 6 of its countries and territories are not placed: the Country Index 2026 places a country only once it holds a standing on 9 of its 12 voting topics. Hong Kong, Macau, North Korea, Northern Cyprus, Palestine and Taiwan.

Asia among the 5 continents with a median

4th of 5. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

1Europe26th39 of 49Placed countries run from Switzerland 1st to Russia 85th.
2Oceania66th8 of 21Placed countries run from New Zealand 13th to Papua New Guinea 145th.
3Americas74th31 of 48Placed countries run from Canada 20th to Haiti 168th.
4Asia89th46 of 52Placed countries run from South Korea 16th to Yemen 172nd.
5Africa139th50 of 55Placed countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 174th.
The world’s midpoint87th

1st174thmedianplaced

The square is each region’s median position; the grey bar runs from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country. Hover a row for their names.

05By subject

Topic by topic

Each sub-region’s median position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field. Strongest for Asia: Governance & Institutions, 2nd of 5 continents. Weakest: Risk & Resilience, 5th of 5.

All topics

Asia: each sub-region’s median position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among continents.
	Governance & Institutions	Health & Wellbeing	Mobility & Connectivity	Work & Labour	Development & Human Capital	Economy & Innovation	Education & Knowledge	Gender & Equality	Democracy & Civil Liberties	Peace & Security	Environment & Sustainability	Risk & Resilience
Central Asia	117 of 193	125 of 201	105 of 147	123 of 182	90 of 194	86 of 150	37 of 182	76 of 178	157 of 198	111 of 177	137 of 161	104 of 191
Eastern Asia	30 of 193	43 of 201	4 of 147	26 of 182	51 of 194	15 of 150	63 of 182	41 of 178	93 of 198	68 of 177	124 of 161	129 of 191
South-eastern Asia	66 of 193	90 of 201	17 of 147	52 of 182	99 of 194	79 of 150	102 of 182	103 of 178	115 of 198	106 of 177	83 of 161	142 of 191
Southern Asia	120 of 193	131 of 201	82 of 147	136 of 182	108 of 194	74 of 150	103 of 182	142 of 178	118 of 198	110 of 177	56 of 161	163 of 191
Western Asia	69 of 193	70 of 201	57 of 147	45 of 182	68 of 194	60 of 150	54 of 182	113 of 178	144 of 198	150 of 177	122 of 161	124 of 191
Asia median	81st of 193	90th of 201	50th of 147	72nd of 182	90th of 194	70th of 150	89th of 182	103rd of 178	138th of 198	111th of 177	111th of 161	129th of 191
Among continents	2nd of 5	2nd of 5	2nd of 5	2nd of 5	3rd of 5	3rd of 5	3rd of 5	3rd of 5	4th of 5	4th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5

Columns run from the topic where Asia places best among continents to the one where it places lowest. A region’s median on a topic needs at least two members with a standing; a hatched cell has no standing.

06In numbers

Asia in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Asia’s countries are the red ticks, and the dashed line is the world median. There is no regional average: a region has countries, not a life expectancy of its own.

All statistics

Population
people · log scale
UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · no better end
No reading: Northern Cyprus
Land area
km²
FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end
No reading: Northern Cyprus
GDP per person
international $, PPP · log scale
World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better
No reading: Afghanistan, Lebanon, North Korea, Northern Cyprus, Syria, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Life expectancy
years at birth
UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better
No reading: Northern Cyprus
Human development
HDI, 0–1
UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better
No reading: Macau, North Korea, Northern Cyprus, Taiwan
Unemployment
% of the labour force
ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better
No reading: Lebanon, Northern Cyprus, Palestine, Taiwan

Every value for Asia’s countries

Country	Population 2023	Land area 2024	GDP per person 2025	Life expectancy 2023	Human development 2023	Unemployment 2025
Afghanistan	41,454,761rank 36	652,230rank 40	—	66.03rank 189	0.496rank 181	13.35rank 20
Armenia	2,943,393rank 140	28,199rank 138	21,153rank 81	75.68rank 101	0.811rank 69	12.87rank 21
Azerbaijan	10,318,207rank 94	82,650rank 112	22,314rank 77	74.43rank 116	0.789rank 81	5.457rank 81
Bahrain	1,569,666rank 154	800rank 180	60,670rank 22	81.28rank 42	0.899rank 38	1.102rank 176
Bangladesh	171,466,990rank 8	130,170rank 95	8,677rank 128	74.67rank 111	0.685rank 130	3.778rank 118
Bhutan	786,385rank 166	38,140rank 132	16,744rank 97	72.98rank 126	0.698rank 125	3.227rank 136
Brunei	458,949rank 174	5,270rank 167	78,985rank 9	75.33rank 104	0.837rank 60	5.277rank 87
Cambodia	17,423,880rank 73	176,520rank 89	7,300rank 136	70.67rank 151	0.606rank 151	0.263rank 181
China	1,422,584,933rank 2	9,388,210rank 2	25,067rank 71	77.95rank 69	0.797rank 78	4.615rank 107
Cyprus	1,344,976rank 158	9,240rank 164	54,103rank 28	81.65rank 38	0.913rank 32	4.924rank 98
Georgia	3,807,492rank 131	69,490rank 118	25,136rank 69	74.5rank 114	0.844rank 57	12.1rank 23
Hong Kong	7,442,734rank 104	1,050rank 176	68,725rank 13	85.51rank 3	0.955rank 8	2.799rank 151
India	1,438,069,596rank 1	2,973,190rank 7	10,039rank 124	72rank 139	0.685rank 130	4.219rank 112
Indonesia	281,190,067rank 4	1,892,410rank 14	15,091rank 103	71.15rank 149	0.728rank 113	3.237rank 135
Iran	90,608,707rank 17	1,622,500rank 17	16,834rank 96	77.65rank 75	0.799rank 75	8.301rank 50
Iraq	45,074,049rank 35	434,130rank 57	12,192rank 113	72.32rank 135	0.695rank 126	15.48rank 14
Israel	9,256,314rank 98	21,640rank 149	48,197rank 39	82.41rank 25	0.919rank 27	3.489rank 126
Japan	124,370,947rank 12	364,500rank 62	48,283rank 35	84.71rank 4	0.925rank 23	2.451rank 159
Jordan	11,439,213rank 84	88,794rank 110	10,794rank 119	77.81rank 72	0.754rank 100	16.54rank 12
Kazakhstan	20,330,104rank 64	2,699,700rank 9	37,851rank 51	74.4rank 117	0.837rank 60	4.771rank 102
Kuwait	4,838,782rank 128	17,820rank 154	48,254rank 37	80.4rank 48	0.852rank 52	2.181rank 163
Kyrgyzstan	7,073,516rank 107	191,800rank 87	7,878rank 132	71.68rank 143	0.72rank 117	3.526rank 125
Laos	7,664,993rank 103	230,800rank 80	8,873rank 126	68.96rank 164	0.617rank 147	1.187rank 175
Lebanon	5,773,493rank 116	10,230rank 161	—	77.82rank 71	0.752rank 102	—
Macau	713,912rank 167	33.3rank 216	117,098rank 4	83.07rank 19	—	2.347rank 160
Malaysia	35,126,298rank 44	328,550rank 66	35,461rank 55	76.66rank 88	0.819rank 67	3.764rank 119
Maldives	525,994rank 172	298rank 199	24,401rank 74	81.04rank 44	0.766rank 93	4.514rank 109
Mongolia	3,431,932rank 133	1,558,501rank 18	17,773rank 91	71.73rank 141	0.747rank 104	5.233rank 88
Myanmar	54,133,798rank 27	652,670rank 39	5,137rank 148	66.89rank 182	0.609rank 150	3.047rank 140
Nepal	29,694,614rank 51	143,350rank 93	5,277rank 147	70.35rank 153	0.622rank 145	10.46rank 33
North Korea	26,418,204rank 55	120,410rank 98	—	73.64rank 120	—	3.545rank 123
Oman	5,049,269rank 126	309,500rank 69	36,143rank 54	80.03rank 52	0.858rank 50	3.251rank 134
Pakistan	247,504,495rank 5	770,880rank 35	5,617rank 144	67.65rank 173	0.544rank 168	5.42rank 83
Palestine	5,409,202rank 121	6,025rank 166	4,272rank 153	65.17rank 194	0.674rank 133	—
Philippines	114,891,199rank 13	298,170rank 72	10,748rank 120	69.83rank 158	0.72rank 117	2.235rank 162
Qatar	2,979,082rank 138	11,490rank 159	110,136rank 5	82.37rank 26	0.886rank 43	0.13rank 182
Saudi Arabia	33,264,292rank 48	2,149,690rank 12	63,051rank 20	78.73rank 61	0.9rank 37	3.038rank 142
Singapore	5,789,090rank 115	724.8rank 182	139,593rank 1	83.74rank 10	0.946rank 13	2.818rank 150
South Korea	51,748,739rank 29	97,600rank 105	55,697rank 26	84.33rank 5	0.937rank 20	2.683rank 154
Sri Lanka	22,971,617rank 61	61,860rank 122	14,583rank 104	77.48rank 77	0.776rank 89	4.005rank 115
Syria	23,594,623rank 58	183,630rank 88	—	72.12rank 137	0.564rank 162	13.57rank 19
Taiwan	23,317,145rank 59	35,410rank 133	—	80.56rank 47	—	—
Tajikistan	10,389,799rank 92	138,790rank 94	5,062rank 149	71.79rank 140	0.691rank 128	6.931rank 57
Thailand	71,702,435rank 20	510,890rank 50	22,432rank 76	76.41rank 90	0.798rank 76	0.781rank 179
Timor-Leste	1,384,286rank 156	14,870rank 156	4,110rank 156	67.69rank 172	0.634rank 142	1.592rank 169
Türkiye	87,270,501rank 18	769,630rank 36	37,301rank 53	77.16rank 83	0.853rank 51	8.52rank 46
Turkmenistan	7,364,438rank 105	469,930rank 53	19,314rank 87	70.07rank 155	0.764rank 95	4.267rank 111
United Arab Emirates	10,642,081rank 89	71,020rank 117	—	82.91rank 21	0.94rank 15	2.174rank 164
Uzbekistan	35,652,307rank 43	438,510rank 56	11,623rank 116	72.39rank 134	0.74rank 107	4.622rank 106
Vietnam	100,352,192rank 16	313,429rank 68	15,457rank 102	74.59rank 112	0.766rank 93	1.523rank 172
Yemen	39,390,799rank 37	527,968rank 49	—	69.3rank 161	0.47rank 184	17.32rank 11

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Asia that share a land border with one of its members, with their world positions, and the continents they belong to. Land borders only, as drawn on the map.

Africa

Egypt115

Europe

Oceania

Papua New Guinea145

The neighbouring continents

10Analysis

Charts and analysis about Asia’s countries

All charts

11Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The other continents

12Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Asia?

Asia holds 52 countries and territories on this site, in 5 UN sub-regions: Central Asia, Eastern Asia, South-eastern Asia, Southern Asia and Western Asia. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Asia is placed highest?

South Korea, placed 16th of 174 in the Country Index 2026. Yemen is placed lowest, 172nd. 46 of the region’s 52 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Asia compare with other regions?

Half of its 46 placed countries sit at or above 89th of 174, which places it 4th of 5 continents. The middle of the whole field is 87th. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Asia?

4,778,004,490 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for 51 of its 52 countries and territories. No figure is published for Northern Cyprus.

What is the largest country in Asia?

By land area, China: 9,388,210 square kilometres (2024). By population, India: 1,438,069,596 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made

Membership. Countries belong to regions by the United Nations’ M49 classification; each country declares its sub-region, and a continent is the sum of its sub-regions.
Positions. Each country’s position is its Country Index 2026 result, unchanged. This page slices the world ranking by place; it does not re-rank anyone.
The median. A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions: half sit at or above it, half below. With an even number of placed countries it takes the better of the two middle positions, since there is no country at a half place. Countries the index does not place are named, never counted in.
A place among peers. Continents are compared with continents and sub-regions with sub-regions, never a part with the whole that contains it; regions sharing a median share a place. Nothing is weighted by population or size, and population and land area are the only figures ever added up.

Where the regions come from

United Nations Statistics Division, Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49). M49’s middle level (Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean) is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland are not in M49 and are placed by geography.

Where the positions come from

Every position is a country’s result in the Country Index 2026 or one of its topics, unchanged. The population and land-area figures are the UN DESA Population Division’s and the FAO’s, added up and shown with their year; every other statistic names its publisher beside its numbers.

Photographs

Each country’s own banner from its profile: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Uzbekistan — Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0
Kazakhstan — Dmitry A. Mottl (original) This derivative work (cropped): SHB2000, CC BY-SA 3.0
Tajikistan — Hylgeriak, CC BY-SA 3.0
China — Seebeer Edited by Nicholasjf21, Public domain
Japan — JurriaanH, CC BY-SA 3.0
South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
Indonesia — Dohduhdah, CC0
Philippines — Matthias Hiltner, CC BY 2.0
Vietnam — Slaza : Sándor Laza, CC BY-SA 3.0
India — Kumaravels derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי, CC BY 2.5 in
Pakistan — Shikari7, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bangladesh — Niaz morshed Shovon, Public domain
Türkiye — Moonik, CC BY-SA 3.0
Iraq — Diyar Muhammed, CC BY-SA 4.0
Yemen — Jialiang Gao www.peace-on-earth.org derivative work: JamesA, CC BY-SA 3.0

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Asia: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/asia

Asia