How Many Countries Are in Asia? Full List by Region (48 Countries)

Quick answer

Asia has 48 UN-recognised sovereign countries, grouped into five regions: Central Asia (5), East Asia (6), South Asia (8), Southeast Asia (11), and West Asia / the Middle East (18). It's the world's largest continent by both land area and population — home to roughly 4.7 billion people, well over half of humanity.

The number isn't perfectly settled, though. Five countries — Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan — sit across the Asia–Europe boundary, and different sources classify them differently depending on whether they're using geographic, political, or cultural criteria. That's the main reason you'll see "48," "49," or "50" quoted across different sites.

Country counts below follow the UN's standard M49 regional classification (see Sources at the end). We've flagged every genuinely disputed case rather than picking a side.

Why the number isn't always "48"

Three recurring sticking points:

• Taiwan. Geographically and administratively self-governing, but claimed by China as part of its territory. Counted separately here because it functions as a distinct entity with its own government, currency, and borders — but you'll see it omitted on lists that follow China's official position.
• Cyprus. Geographically part of Asia Minor, but a member of the European Union and widely discussed as a European country in political and economic contexts. The UN's geoscheme places it in Western Asia.
• Transcontinental states. Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan all have land, population, or cultural ties on both sides of the Asia–Europe line. None of these classifications is "wrong" — they depend on which convention (geographic, political, or UN statistical) a source is using.

Central Asia — 5 countries

| Country | Capital | Approx. population |

|---|---|---|

| Kazakhstan | Astana | 19.6M |

| Uzbekistan | Tashkent | 36M |

| Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | 6.4M |

| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | 7M |

| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | 10.1M |

All five emerged as independent states after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. Kazakhstan alone is larger by land area than all of Western Europe combined, while Tajikistan is over 90% mountainous — among the most mountainous terrain of any country in the world.

East Asia — 6 countries

| Country | Capital | Approx. population |

|---|---|---|

| China | Beijing | 1.41B |

| Japan | Tokyo | 123M |

| Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | 3.4M |

| North Korea | Pyongyang | 26M |

| South Korea | Seoul | 51.7M |

| Taiwan | Taipei | 23.4M |

This region spans the world's second-most-populous country (China) and one of the world's most sparsely populated (Mongolia, with fewer than 2 people per square kilometre).

South Asia — 8 countries

| Country | Capital | Approx. population |

|---|---|---|

| India | New Delhi | 1.44B |

| Pakistan | Islamabad | 247M |

| Bangladesh | Dhaka | 173M |

| Sri Lanka | Colombo (executive), Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative) | 22M |

| Nepal | Kathmandu | 30M |

| Bhutan | Thimphu | 0.79M |

| Maldives | Malé | 0.52M |

| Afghanistan | Kabul | 42M |

More than a quarter of humanity lives in South Asia, concentrated along the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra river systems — some of the most densely populated river basins on Earth.

Southeast Asia — 11 countries

| Country | Capital | Approx. population |

|---|---|---|

| Indonesia | Jakarta | 283M |

| Philippines | Manila | 116M |

| Vietnam | Hanoi | 100M |

| Thailand | Bangkok | 71.6M |

| Myanmar | Naypyidaw | 54M |

| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | 35M |

| Cambodia | Phnom Penh | 17M |

| Laos | Vientiane | 7.7M |

| Singapore | Singapore | 6M |

| Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan | 0.46M |

| Timor-Leste | Dili | 1.4M |

Indonesia's more than 17,000 islands make it the world's largest archipelagic nation — bigger by island count than the Philippines and Japan combined.

West Asia / Middle East — 18 countries

| Country | Capital | Approx. population |

|---|---|---|

| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | 36M |

| Iran | Tehran | 92M |

| Iraq | Baghdad | 46M |

| Israel | Jerusalem | 9.9M |

| Turkey | Ankara | 87M |

| Syria | Damascus | 23M |

| Jordan | Amman | 11.5M |

| Lebanon | Beirut | 5.5M |

| Yemen | Sana'a | 40M |

| Oman | Muscat | 4.7M |

| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | 10M |

| Qatar | Doha | 2.7M |

| Kuwait | Kuwait City | 4.3M |

| Bahrain | Manama | 1.5M |

| Georgia | Tbilisi | 3.7M |

| Armenia | Yerevan | 2.8M |

| Azerbaijan | Baku | 10.3M |

| Cyprus | Nicosia | 1.3M |

This is Asia's largest sub-region by country count and its most geopolitically active — home to the majority of the world's proven oil reserves and several of its longest-running territorial disputes.

For the equivalent breakdown of the neighbouring continent, see how many countries are in Africa, and for the full seven-continent picture, our guide to countries by continent: the complete list covers every transcontinental grey area, not just Asia's.

The transcontinental problem, side by side

| Country | Usually classified as | Why it's disputed |

|---|---|---|

| Russia | Europe or Asia | ~75% of land area is in Asia; ~75% of the population lives in the European part |

| Turkey | Asia (with European territory) | Istanbul itself straddles both sides of the Bosphorus strait |

| Georgia | Asia or Europe | Council of Europe member; often grouped with Europe culturally and politically |

| Armenia | Asia or Europe | Same pattern as Georgia — geographic Asia, political Europe |

| Azerbaijan | Asia or Europe | Caspian coastline sits geographically in Asia; Council of Europe member |

Quick facts worth remembering

• Largest country in Asia by area: Russia, if its Asian territory is included; China is the largest country located entirely within Asia.
• Most populous: India, which overtook China as the world's most populous country in 2023.
• Smallest by land area: Maldives.
• Newest recognised state: Timor-Leste, which gained independence in 2002.
• Highest population density: Bangladesh, among countries with populations over 100 million.

How we verified this list

Country counts and regional groupings follow the UN Statistics Division's M49 standard, the same classification system used by the World Bank and most international statistical agencies. Population figures are rounded estimates and will drift slightly year to year — check the linked sources above for live figures if you need exact current data.

FAQs

How many countries are in Asia?

48, under the UN's standard regional classification — though the number can shift to 49 or 50 depending on how a source treats Taiwan and the transcontinental countries.

What is the largest country in Asia?

Russia, if its Asian territory is counted; China is the largest country that lies entirely within Asia.

Is Russia in Europe or Asia?

Both. Russia is transcontinental — most of its land area is in Asia, but most of its population lives in the European portion.

What is the most populous country in Asia?

India, which passed China in total population in 2023.

Is Cyprus part of Asia or Europe?

Geographically it's classified as Western Asia by the UN, but it's a European Union member state and is widely discussed as European in political and economic contexts.

Does the count include Taiwan?

It does on lists that treat Taiwan as a distinct, self-governing entity. Lists that follow China's official position exclude it, which is why some sources say 47 instead of 48.

Test yourself

Once the list feels familiar, try naming each country's sub-region from memory — Central, East, South, Southeast, or West Asia — before checking. Our Asia countries quiz turns this into a quick drill if you'd rather test it interactively than re-read the tables above.