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Sub-region of Asia · Country Index 2026

Eastern Asia

How are the countries of Eastern Asia doing?

Half of Eastern Asia’s 5 placed countries sit at or above 42nd of 183 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 6th of 22 sub-regions. South Korea is placed highest, 13th; Mongolia lowest, 75th. 2 reach the world’s top fifth. 3 more of its 8 countries and territories are not placed.

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Eastern AsiaUN M49 030

Eastern Asia, shown in red on a map of the world

42nd

median position of 183 · 6th of 22 sub-regions

Asia →median 91st

01Who is in it

The countries of Eastern Asia

Alphabetical, with each country’s own banner photograph. The position is its place in the whole world ranking, never within the region.

02The region

About Eastern Asia

China, Japan, the Koreas, Mongolia and Taiwan.

Eastern Asia faces the Pacific, from the Mongolian steppe and the Tibetan Plateau to the islands of Japan. It holds the great river plains of the Yellow River and the Yangtze, the Korean peninsula, and some of the most densely populated coasts in the world.

Chinese civilisation developed along its rivers over thousands of years, and its writing, philosophy and inventions spread across the region, where Japan and Korea developed distinct cultures of their own. In the twentieth century the region went through war, revolution and rapid industrialisation, and several of its economies grew into some of the largest in the world.

03Where

Eastern 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: 1st183rdMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks

04Country Index 2026

Where Eastern Asia’s countries place

Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 183, 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
Eastern Asia’s 5 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st183rd
1South Korea13 / 183between 11th and 17th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
2Japan15 / 183between 10th and 19th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
3Hong Kong42 / 183between 37th and 44th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 16 topics
4China49 / 183between 46th and 52nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5Mongolia75 / 183between 68th and 81st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics

A further 3 of its countries and territories are not placed: the Country Index 2026 places a country only once it holds a standing on 12 of its 16 voting topics. Macau, North Korea and Taiwan.

Eastern Asia among the 22 sub-regions with a median

6th of 22. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  1. Western Europe8thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
  2. Northern Europe11thPlaced countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 26th.
  3. Australia and New Zealand17thPlaced countries run from Australia 17th to New Zealand 19th.
  4. Northern America24thPlaced countries run from Canada 24th to United States 37th.
  5. Southern Europe31stPlaced countries run from Slovenia 14th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 62nd.
  6. Eastern Asia42ndPlaced countries run from South Korea 13th to Mongolia 75th.
  7. Eastern Europe43rdPlaced countries run from Czechia 10th to Russia 73rd.
  8. Central America80thPlaced countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
  9. Caribbean81stPlaced countries run from Barbados 67th to Haiti 173rd.
  10. South America83rdPlaced countries run from Uruguay 35th to Venezuela 133rd.
  11. South-eastern Asia86thPlaced countries run from Singapore 25th to Myanmar 159th.
  12. Polynesia89thPlaced countries run from Samoa 89th to Tonga 97th.
  13. Western Asia95thPlaced countries run from Cyprus 33rd to Yemen 181st.
  14. Central Asia102ndPlaced countries run from Kazakhstan 61st to Turkmenistan 158th.
  15. Southern Asia106thPlaced countries run from Bhutan 52nd to Afghanistan 175th.
  16. Melanesia107thPlaced countries run from Fiji 64th to Papua New Guinea 144th.
  17. Micronesia109thPlaced countries run from Kiribati 109th to Kiribati 109th.
  18. Northern Africa116thPlaced countries run from Tunisia 104th to Sudan 179th.
  19. Southern Africa121stPlaced countries run from South Africa 93rd to Eswatini 147th.
  20. Western Africa148thPlaced countries run from Cabo Verde 94th to Guinea-Bissau 171st.
  21. Eastern Africa153rdPlaced countries run from Mauritius 45th to South Sudan 183rd.
  22. Middle Africa166thPlaced countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 115th to Chad 180th.
  23. Asia, the whole continent91st
  24. The world’s midpoint91st
1st183rdmedian

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

Every country’s position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field; select a cell for the country’s page on the topic. Strongest for Eastern Asia: Mobility & Trade, 1st of 22 sub-regions. Weakest: Environment & Sustainability, 19th of 21.

All topics
Eastern Asia: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Mobility & TradeDigital & TechnologyWork & LabourEconomy & InnovationEducation & KnowledgeFood & AgricultureGender & EqualityGovernance & InstitutionsDevelopment & Human CapitalHealth & WellbeingPoverty & InequalityRisk & ResiliencePeace & SecurityDemocracy & Civil LibertiesEnergyEnvironment & SustainabilityMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
South Korea8 of 1771 of 1983 of 18215 of 1768 of 19832 of 18424 of 18319 of 19424 of 1965 of 20029 of 15935 of 19363 of 17738 of 198No standing170 of 186No standingNo standing
Japan25 of 1779 of 1982 of 1822 of 17613 of 1985 of 184116 of 18310 of 19418 of 1967 of 20056 of 15955 of 19312 of 17728 of 198No standing161 of 186No standingNo standing
Hong Kong3 of 17757 of 19822 of 18237 of 17640 of 198137 of 18442 of 18336 of 19440 of 196No standingNo standingNo standing15 of 177129 of 198141 of 165No standingNo standingNo standing
China9 of 17723 of 19860 of 18246 of 17651 of 1986 of 184124 of 183125 of 19462 of 19647 of 20039 of 15980 of 193102 of 177178 of 19887 of 165157 of 186No standingNo standing
MongoliaNo standing98 of 198148 of 18270 of 17663 of 198138 of 18429 of 18388 of 19475 of 19671 of 20048 of 15937 of 19378 of 17782 of 198143 of 165176 of 186No standingNo standing
Macau2 of 177155 of 19826 of 182No standing131 of 198No standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standing83 of 165No standingNo standingNo standing
North KoreaNo standing119 of 19881 of 182No standingNo standing49 of 184No standing191 of 194No standing115 of 200No standing147 of 19394 of 177196 of 19851 of 165121 of 186No standingNo standing
Taiwan16 of 17721 of 198No standingNo standingNo standingNo standing2 of 18330 of 194No standingNo standing19 of 159No standing7 of 17730 of 198No standing143 of 186No standingNo standing
Region median8th of 17723rd of 19826th of 18237th of 17640th of 19832nd of 18429th of 18336th of 19440th of 19647th of 20039th of 15955th of 19363rd of 17782nd of 19887th of 165157th of 186——
Among sub-regions1st of 223rd of 223rd of 215th of 215th of 225th of 225th of 215th of 226th of 226th of 226th of 217th of 229th of 2011th of 2213th of 2119th of 21——

Columns run from the topic where Eastern Asia places best among sub-regions 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

Eastern Asia in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Eastern 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

    MacauMongoliaHong KongTaiwanNorth KoreaSouth KoreaJapanChina496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    MacauHong KongTaiwanSouth KoreaMongoliaChina0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

    World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better

    No reading: North Korea, Taiwan

    MongoliaChinaJapanSouth KoreaHong KongMacau1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better

    MongoliaNorth KoreaChinaTaiwanMacauSouth KoreaJapanHong Kong54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

    UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better

    No reading: Macau, North Korea, Taiwan

    MongoliaChinaJapanSouth KoreaHong Kong0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    No reading: Taiwan

    MacauJapanSouth KoreaHong KongChinaMongolia0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Eastern Asia’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
China1,422,584,933rank 29,388,210rank 225,067rank 7177.95rank 690.797rank 784.615rank 107
Hong Kong7,442,734rank 1041,050rank 17668,725rank 1385.51rank 30.955rank 82.799rank 151
Japan124,370,947rank 12364,500rank 6248,283rank 3584.71rank 40.925rank 232.451rank 159
Macau713,912rank 16733.3rank 216117,098rank 483.07rank 19—2.347rank 160
Mongolia3,431,932rank 1331,558,501rank 1817,773rank 9171.73rank 1410.747rank 1045.233rank 88
North Korea26,418,204rank 55120,410rank 98—73.64rank 120—3.545rank 123
South Korea51,748,739rank 2997,600rank 10555,697rank 2684.33rank 50.937rank 202.683rank 154
Taiwan23,317,145rank 5935,410rank 133—80.56rank 47——

07In records

Eastern Asia in records

The member at the extreme of each statistic, read from its newest edition. Where two members share the top, no record is named.

08Latest editions

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

The moves of Eastern Asia’s countries between each report’s two newest editions, in the publisher’s own ranks. A report whose field changed by more than 5% is left out.

Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Human Development Index: reference years 2022 (192 countries ranked) → 2023 (193 ranked), both from its 2025 report.

Improved most

rank before → after
  1. Hong Kong9 → 8+1
  2. Mongolia105 → 104+1

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. China74 → 78−4
  2. South Korea19 → 20−1
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

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

Eastern Europe

South-eastern Asia

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Places

Landmarks of Eastern Asia

Two places from each member with a gallery on its profile.

11Analysis

Charts and analysis about Eastern Asia’s countries

All charts

12Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Asia

13Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Eastern Asia?

8 countries and territories: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea and Taiwan. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are listed separately because the publishers of the statistics report them separately. Listing them takes no position on their status.

Which country in Eastern Asia is placed highest?

South Korea, placed 13th of 183 in the Country Index 2026. Mongolia is placed lowest, 75th. 5 of the region’s 8 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Eastern Asia compare with other regions?

Half of its 5 placed countries sit at or above 42nd of 183, which places it 6th of 22 sub-regions. The median across Asia is 91st. The middle of the whole field is 91st. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Eastern Asia?

1,660,028,546 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 8 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Eastern Asia?

By land area, China: 9,388,210 square kilometres (2024). By population, China: 1,422,584,933 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Cite this page

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

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