Countries in Asia 2023

Asia is home to 49 nations, according to the United Nations’ official tally. There might be as few as 45 nations in Asia, or as many as 53, depending on who creates the list. The number of administrative regions and dependent territories on the continent varies.




There are many explanations for this ambiguity. The main problem in Asia is various areas are deemed independent nations by certain organizations and governments but not by others.

Even though Taiwan is a sovereign state, China claims it as a province along with Hong Kong and Macao, which are also part of China (and the United Nations seems to agree).

Although none has been awarded formal nationhood, the United Nations has recognized both Israel and Palestine as sovereign entities. Due to their status as a consequence, they feature on certain lists of Asia’s nations, but not all.

Transcontinental nations, which span continents, add to the complication. A little portion of Egypt stretches into Asia, for example. Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city, is situated in the sliver of Turkey that straddles the Asian and European continents.

Russia, a country with 75% of its territory in Asia and 78% of its population in Europe, provides an even greater problem. Russia has a genuine presence on both continents, depending on the metric used to determine its status.




Finally, the boundaries between continents might be fuzzy, particularly when water travel. Although Cyprus is part of the European Union, the United Nations considers it part of the Asian continent.

Like Oceania, several islands in Asia, Australia/Australasia, and even South America might be argued to be in Oceania. Throughout history, there have been many changes in borders, such as the one between Europe and Asia.

Egypt, Turkey, and Cyprus are all included on this list since they are located in Africa, Asia, or Europe. List Russia in both Asia and Europe. Both Israel and Palestine will have their separate listings.

Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan will be treated as separate countries, with Hong Kong and Macao included as part of China.

Asia is the biggest continent in the globe by a vast margin. Although Russia occupies a quarter of its 17,098,250 square kilometers in Europe, it is still the biggest nation in Asia (where it is also the largest country).

As Asia’s second-largest country, China has a total land area of around 9,600,010 square kilometers.




According to the United Nations, Asia is also the most populated continent in the world. China and India, the world’s two most populated nations, account for the majority of the population in the globe.

As well as the two largest nations in the world, China and India, five additional Asian countries are in the top 15 most populated in the world: Indonesia (#4, 276.4 million), Pakistan (#5, 220.9 m), Japan (#11, 126 m) and the Philippines (#13, 111 m).

Russia, which has a population of 145.9 million, is ranked 9th globally, yet just 22% of Russians reside in Asia.

A few of the world’s tiniest countries may be found in Asia. The population of Brunei, which is located on the island of Borneo, is only 437,000.

Only 540,500 people live in the Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation, while 771,600 people live in Bhutan, a landlocked kingdom in the Eastern Himalayas bordering China.

Also See: Countries in Antarctica 2022

See the list lower down this page for a complete list of Asian nations. Alternatively, you might continue reading about Asia’s largest countries on our list of the continent’s biggest nations.




RankCountry2022 PopulationGrowth Rate
50Brunei445.43100.0088
49Maldives540.9850-0.0048
48Macau667.49000.0138
47Bhutan787.94100.0103
46Timor-Leste1369.42900.0190
45Bahrain1783.98300.0204
44Armenia2971.96600.0013
43Qatar2979.91500.0169
42Mongolia3378.07800.0146
41Georgia3968.7380-0.0028
40Kuwait4380.32600.0120
39Oman5323.99300.0193
38Palestine5345.54100.0235
37Singapore5943.54600.0080
36Turkmenistan6201.94300.0137
35Lebanon6684.8490-0.0124
34Kyrgyzstan6728.27100.0151
33Laos7481.02300.0138
32Hong Kong7604.29900.0068
31Israel8922.89200.0151
30Tajikistan9957.46400.0213
29United Arab Emirates10081.78500.0091
28Azerbaijan10300.20500.0075
27Jordan10300.86900.0031
26Cambodia17168.63900.0131
25Kazakhstan19205.04300.0111
24Syria19364.80900.0596
23Sri Lanka21575.84200.0037
22Taiwan23888.59500.0014
21North Korea25990.67900.0040
20Nepal30225.58200.0186
19Yemen31154.86700.0218
18Malaysia33181.07200.0123
17Uzbekistan34382.08400.0132
16Saudi Arabia35844.90900.0143
15Afghanistan40754.38800.0231
14Iraq42164.96500.0239
13South Korea51329.89900.0005
12Myanmar55227.14300.0077
11Thailand70078.20300.0018
10Turkey85561.97600.0061
9Iran86022.83700.0117
8Vietnam98953.54100.0080
7Philippines112508.99400.0132
6Japan125584.8380-0.0037
5Bangladesh167885.68900.0095
4Pakistan229488.99400.0191
3Indonesia279134.50500.0100
2India1406631.77600.0095
1China1448471.40000.0029




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