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Sub-region of Asia · Country Index 2026

Southern Asia

How are the countries of Southern Asia doing?

Half of Southern Asia’s 9 placed countries sit at or above 106th of 183 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 15th of 22 sub-regions. Bhutan is placed highest, 52nd; Afghanistan lowest, joint 175th. None reaches the world’s top fifth.

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Southern AsiaUN M49 034

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

106th

median position of 183 · 15th of 22 sub-regions

Asia →median 91st

01Who is in it

The countries of Southern 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 Southern Asia

The subcontinent and its neighbours, from Iran and Afghanistan to Sri Lanka.

Southern Asia covers the Indian subcontinent and its neighbours, from Iran and Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east, and from the Himalaya to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. The Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra carry water from the mountains across some of the most densely farmed plains in the world, and the monsoon shapes life across most of the region.

The Indus valley civilisation, ancient Persia and the empires of India make it one of the oldest settled regions on Earth, and it is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Much of it came under British rule: India and Pakistan became independent in 1947 and Sri Lanka in 1948, and Bangladesh followed in 1971. Hundreds of languages are spoken, among them Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Persian and Tamil.

03Where

Southern 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 Southern 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
Southern Asia’s 9 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st183rd
1Bhutan52 / 183between 45th and 62nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
2India82 / 183between 77th and 91st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
3Maldives91 / 183between 79th and 103rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4Sri Lanka95 / 183between 88th and 98th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
5Nepal106 / 183between 96th and 112th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
6Bangladesh140 / 183between 128th and 144th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
7Iran143 / 183between 137th and 147th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
8Pakistan155 / 183between 151st and 159th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
9Afghanistan175 / 183between 172nd and 179th if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics

Southern Asia among the 22 sub-regions with a median

15th 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 Southern Asia: Energy, 7th of 21 sub-regions. Weakest: Gender & Equality, 19th of 21.

All topics
Southern Asia: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
EnergyPoverty & InequalityEnvironment & SustainabilityEconomy & InnovationDigital & TechnologyFood & AgricultureRisk & ResilienceDemocracy & Civil LibertiesEducation & KnowledgeMobility & TradeGovernance & InstitutionsHealth & WellbeingPeace & SecurityDevelopment & Human CapitalWork & LabourGender & EqualityMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Bhutan1 of 16510 of 15987 of 18668 of 176111 of 19888 of 18476 of 19371 of 198120 of 198No standing51 of 194118 of 20028 of 177133 of 19672 of 182122 of 183No standingNo standing
IndiaNo standing44 of 15985 of 18686 of 1765 of 198111 of 184182 of 193119 of 19844 of 19815 of 17773 of 194150 of 200140 of 177114 of 19699 of 182154 of 183No standingNo standing
Maldives136 of 16513 of 159128 of 18679 of 176162 of 19892 of 18456 of 19397 of 19879 of 198169 of 177105 of 19462 of 20068 of 177103 of 19664 of 182149 of 183No standingNo standing
Sri LankaNo standing85 of 15976 of 18688 of 17685 of 19894 of 184126 of 19393 of 198171 of 19863 of 17771 of 19451 of 20086 of 17789 of 196160 of 182150 of 183No standingNo standing
Nepal47 of 16546 of 15960 of 18697 of 176115 of 19885 of 184118 of 19394 of 198111 of 198No standing130 of 194143 of 20088 of 177145 of 196171 of 182129 of 183No standingNo standing
Bangladesh155 of 16573 of 15961 of 186117 of 17659 of 19879 of 184187 of 193156 of 198150 of 198112 of 177135 of 194136 of 200130 of 177138 of 196103 of 182168 of 183No standingNo standing
IranNo standing82 of 159180 of 18673 of 176109 of 198122 of 184116 of 193187 of 198104 of 198143 of 177168 of 19467 of 200165 of 17748 of 196175 of 182181 of 183No standingNo standing
Pakistan90 of 16593 of 15986 of 186159 of 17654 of 198147 of 184189 of 193145 of 198176 of 198107 of 177136 of 194161 of 200168 of 177154 of 196136 of 182171 of 183No standingNo standing
Afghanistan16 of 165No standing97 of 186131 of 176194 of 198155 of 184178 of 193190 of 198No standingNo standing179 of 194190 of 200160 of 177189 of 196182 of 182175 of 183No standingNo standing
Region median47th of 16546th of 15986th of 18688th of 176109th of 19894th of 184126th of 193119th of 198111th of 198107th of 177130th of 194136th of 200130th of 177133rd of 196136th of 182154th of 183——
Among sub-regions7th of 218th of 2110th of 2112th of 2113th of 2213th of 2215th of 2216th of 2216th of 2216th of 2217th of 2217th of 2217th of 2018th of 2218th of 2119th of 21——

Columns run from the topic where Southern 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

Southern Asia in 6 numbers

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

    MaldivesIndia496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    MaldivesIndia0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

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

    No reading: Afghanistan

    NepalPakistanBangladeshIndiaSri LankaBhutanIranMaldives1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

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

    AfghanistanMaldives54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

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

    AfghanistanIran0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    BhutanAfghanistan0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Southern Asia’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Afghanistan41,454,761rank 36652,230rank 40—66.03rank 1890.496rank 18113.35rank 20
Bangladesh171,466,990rank 8130,170rank 958,677rank 12874.67rank 1110.685rank 1303.778rank 118
Bhutan786,385rank 16638,140rank 13216,744rank 9772.98rank 1260.698rank 1253.227rank 136
India1,438,069,596rank 12,973,190rank 710,039rank 12472rank 1390.685rank 1304.219rank 112
Iran90,608,707rank 171,622,500rank 1716,834rank 9677.65rank 750.799rank 758.301rank 50
Maldives525,994rank 172298rank 19924,401rank 7481.04rank 440.766rank 934.514rank 109
Nepal29,694,614rank 51143,350rank 935,277rank 14770.35rank 1530.622rank 14510.46rank 33
Pakistan247,504,495rank 5770,880rank 355,617rank 14467.65rank 1730.544rank 1685.42rank 83
Sri Lanka22,971,617rank 6161,860rank 12214,583rank 10477.48rank 770.776rank 894.005rank 115

07In records

Southern 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 Southern 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. Nepal150 → 145+5
  2. India133 → 130+3
  3. Iran77 → 75+2

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Maldives91 → 93−2
  2. Sri Lanka88 → 89−1
  3. Afghanistan180 → 181−1
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Southern 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 Asia

South-eastern Asia

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Places

Landmarks of Southern Asia

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

  • Sixty Dome Mosque

    Sixty Dome Mosque

    Fifteenth-century mosque in Bagerhat, part of a historic mosque city.

    Photo: মোয়ায মাহমুদ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Ahsan Manzil

    Ahsan Manzil

    Former palace of the Nawabs of Dhaka on the Buriganga River.

    Photo: Md. Ahsanul Haque Nayem · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Taj Mahal, Agra, India.

    Taj Mahal

    White marble mausoleum in Agra, built for the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

    Photo: © Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Madrasa and tomb of Alauddin Khalji (historic Islamic school containing a tomb in Delhi, India)

    Qutb Minar

    Monuments of the Qutb complex in Delhi, whose minaret was begun in the late twelfth century.

    Photo: Akbarzoda · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • A 4 Megapixel picture of Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan.

    Badshahi Mosque

    Mughal-era mosque in Lahore, commissioned by Emperor Aurangzeb and completed in 1673.

    Photo: Ali Imran · CC BY-SA 2.5 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Faisal Mosque

    Faisal Mosque

    Modernist mosque at the foot of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad, completed in 1986.

    Photo: Ali Mujtaba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

11Analysis

Charts and analysis about Southern Asia’s countries

All charts

12Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Asia

13Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Southern Asia?

9 countries and territories: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Southern Asia is placed highest?

Bhutan, placed 52nd of 183 in the Country Index 2026. Afghanistan is placed lowest, joint 175th. 9 of the region’s 9 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Southern Asia compare with other regions?

Half of its 9 placed countries sit at or above 106th of 183, which places it 15th 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 Southern Asia?

2,043,083,159 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 9 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Southern Asia?

By land area, India: 2,973,190 square kilometres (2024). By population, India: 1,438,069,596 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). Southern Asia: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/southern-asia

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