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.
Rank | Country | 2022 Population | Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
50 | Brunei | 445.4310 | 0.0088 |
49 | Maldives | 540.9850 | -0.0048 |
48 | Macau | 667.4900 | 0.0138 |
47 | Bhutan | 787.9410 | 0.0103 |
46 | Timor-Leste | 1369.4290 | 0.0190 |
45 | Bahrain | 1783.9830 | 0.0204 |
44 | Armenia | 2971.9660 | 0.0013 |
43 | Qatar | 2979.9150 | 0.0169 |
42 | Mongolia | 3378.0780 | 0.0146 |
41 | Georgia | 3968.7380 | -0.0028 |
40 | Kuwait | 4380.3260 | 0.0120 |
39 | Oman | 5323.9930 | 0.0193 |
38 | Palestine | 5345.5410 | 0.0235 |
37 | Singapore | 5943.5460 | 0.0080 |
36 | Turkmenistan | 6201.9430 | 0.0137 |
35 | Lebanon | 6684.8490 | -0.0124 |
34 | Kyrgyzstan | 6728.2710 | 0.0151 |
33 | Laos | 7481.0230 | 0.0138 |
32 | Hong Kong | 7604.2990 | 0.0068 |
31 | Israel | 8922.8920 | 0.0151 |
30 | Tajikistan | 9957.4640 | 0.0213 |
29 | United Arab Emirates | 10081.7850 | 0.0091 |
28 | Azerbaijan | 10300.2050 | 0.0075 |
27 | Jordan | 10300.8690 | 0.0031 |
26 | Cambodia | 17168.6390 | 0.0131 |
25 | Kazakhstan | 19205.0430 | 0.0111 |
24 | Syria | 19364.8090 | 0.0596 |
23 | Sri Lanka | 21575.8420 | 0.0037 |
22 | Taiwan | 23888.5950 | 0.0014 |
21 | North Korea | 25990.6790 | 0.0040 |
20 | Nepal | 30225.5820 | 0.0186 |
19 | Yemen | 31154.8670 | 0.0218 |
18 | Malaysia | 33181.0720 | 0.0123 |
17 | Uzbekistan | 34382.0840 | 0.0132 |
16 | Saudi Arabia | 35844.9090 | 0.0143 |
15 | Afghanistan | 40754.3880 | 0.0231 |
14 | Iraq | 42164.9650 | 0.0239 |
13 | South Korea | 51329.8990 | 0.0005 |
12 | Myanmar | 55227.1430 | 0.0077 |
11 | Thailand | 70078.2030 | 0.0018 |
10 | Turkey | 85561.9760 | 0.0061 |
9 | Iran | 86022.8370 | 0.0117 |
8 | Vietnam | 98953.5410 | 0.0080 |
7 | Philippines | 112508.9940 | 0.0132 |
6 | Japan | 125584.8380 | -0.0037 |
5 | Bangladesh | 167885.6890 | 0.0095 |
4 | Pakistan | 229488.9940 | 0.0191 |
3 | Indonesia | 279134.5050 | 0.0100 |
2 | India | 1406631.7760 | 0.0095 |
1 | China | 1448471.4000 | 0.0029 |