Richest Asian Countries 2022

Several Asian countries are wealthy in various categories, from natural beauty and riches to precious cultural legacy, fertile land, and more. The wealth of Asian countries will be assessed using GDP, GDP per Capita, & gross national income (GNI), all of which are measures of a country’s monetary output.




The most prosperous countries in Asia, as measured by gross domestic product

In economics, the most often used statistic is GDP, which quantifies the total amount of goods and services generated by a country during a certain time. As a result of this comprehensive approach, GDP provides a great picture of the present economic health of a nation.

World Bank 2020 GDP, Int$ PPP: Top 10 Richest Asian Countries

  1. China – $24.27 trillion
  2. India – $8.91 trillion
  3. Japan – $5.33 trillion
  4. Indonesia – $3.30 trillion
  5. Turkey – $2.37 trillion
  6. South Korea – $2.23 trillion
  7. Saudi Arabia – $1.63 trillion
  8. Thailand – $1.3 trillion
  9. Iran – $1.1 trillion
  10. Pakistan – $1.08 trillion

Regarding purchasing power parity (PPP), China has the highest GDP at $24.27 trillion (a fictional currency that makes country-to-country comparisons easier). Nearly half of China’s GDP comes from industry and construction.

Mineral extraction and ore processing and the manufacturing of various products are among the main industries in the country. Agriculture is a significant part of the economy as well. China is the world’s leading agricultural producer. Chinese farmers number about 300 million.




As Asia’s second most prosperous nation, India’s economy relies significantly on services (55.6 percent of GDP), manufacturing (26.3 percent), and agriculture to produce the majority of its goods (18.1 percent of GDP).

Rice, wheat, cotton, tea, sugarcane, and potatoes are among the country’s most important crops. As the world’s fastest-growing economy, India is home to a large population of poor people.

Japanese citizens are the third richest in the Asia-Pacific region, with slightly over $5,3 trillion. With its highly developed technological sector, the “Land of the Rising Sun” has earned its reputation as one of its most inventive nations.

Because of the country’s rapidly aging population and low birth rate, Japan’s population is expected to decline.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is an important indicator of a country’s prosperity, but it is not the only one. Since China and India have the world’s two largest populations, it’s no surprise that their combined GDP is high.




After all, a nation with more people tends to produce more overall. But the ranking of the richest nations might vary widely depending on the criterion used.

GDP Per Capita rankings of the richest countries in Asia

GDP per Capita is calculated by dividing the GDP by the population of a nation, which provides a more accurate picture of the typical person’s well-being. According to the International Monetary Fund, the ten wealthiest Asian nations in terms of GDP per Capita will be shown below in October 2021.

In terms of per capita GDP by 2020, the 10 richest Asian countries are as follows:

  1. Singapore – $107,680
  2. Qatar – $100,040
  3. United Arab Emirates – $74,240
  4. Macao (China) – $67,470
  5. Brunei – $65,670
  6. Hong Kong (China) – $65,400
  7. Taiwan – $61,370
  8. Bahrain – $53,130
  9. Saudi Arabia – $48,910
  10. South Korea – $48,310

The city-state of Singapore is the richest nation in Asia, with a per-capita GDP of $107,690 (PPP Int$). Because of a low amount of corruption in the government and a business-friendly environment, Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.




To do business, many investors from throughout the globe go to Singapore. Qatar, an oil-rich nation on the Arabian Peninsula, is the second richest country in Asia. Qatar has enough oil reserves to keep its per capita GDP at $100,040 for at least the next two decades.

Most of the remainder of the top 10 is made up of either oil-rich nations or among the most business-friendly and technologically-advanced, such as Hong Kong, an independent Chinese colony. However, another statistic may provide a different perspective.

GNI lists countries in Asia with the highest GDP per Capita

Unlike GDP, Gross National Income (GNI) per Capita does not assess what a nation exports but rather what it takes in. Despite its subtlety, this distinction may assist in identifying “tax haven” nations whose GDPs are artificially inflated by foreign firms funneling money through them to avoid taxes.




World Bank 2020 GNI per Capita using the Atlas technique and current US dollars ranks the 10 richest Asian countries.

  1. Macau (China) – $75,610
  2. Qatar – $56,210
  3. Singapore – $54,920
  4. Hong Kong (China) – $48,630
  5. United Arab Emirates – $43,470
  6. Israel – $43,070
  7. Japan – $41,580
  8. Kuwait – $36,290
  9. South Korea – $32,860
  10. Brunei – $32,230

The list gets updated once again. No matter the economic metric one uses to gauge the state of the economy, it is vital to keep in mind that per Capita, wealth does not represent the average or median income of the country’s residents.




To get a realistic view of the ordinary worker’s wage and the accompanying purchasing power, we need measurements more purpose-specific, detailed, and nuanced than GDP or GNI, especially in this age of huge income disparity.

Also See: Richest African Countries 2022

The following are Asia’s 10 richest countries:

  1. China ($11.22 Tn)
  2. Japan ($4.94 Tn)
  3. India ($2.26 Tn)
  4. South Korea ($1.41 Tn)
  5. Indonesia ($932.26 Bn)
  6. Turkey ($863.71 Bn)
  7. Saudi Arabia ($639.62 Bn)
  8. Iran ($425.40 Bn)
  9. Thailand ($407.03 Bn)
  10. United Arab Emirates ($348.74 Bn)




CountryGDP (IMF '19)GDP (UN '16)Per Capita
China14216.50001121828102929811218281029298
Japan5176.210049362118278754936211827875
India297222596423828722259642382872
South Korea1656.670014112455899771411245589977
Indonesia1100.9100932259177621932259177621
Turkey706.2370863711710542863711710542
Saudi Arabia762.2590639617050945639617050945
Iran484.6630425402616011425402616011
Thailand516.6620407026319505407026319505
United Arab Emirates427.8760348743627620348743627620
Hong Kong381.7200320912235499320912235499
Israel381.5690317747579750317747579750
Philippines356.6820304905638877304905638877
Singapore372.8070296946278392296946278392
Malaysia373.4470296531469473296531469473
Pakistan278.0190282506007859282506007859
Bangladesh314.6560220836732893220836732893
Vietnam260.3010205276171343205276171343
Iraq225.2570160021001474160021001474
Qatar193.5020152451923077152451923077
Kazakhstan164.2070135005203998135005203998
Kuwait136.9400110346129191110346129191
Sri Lanka84.16408132197096681321970966
Uzbekistan49.19906777890243567778902435
Myanmar65.66506569761606865697616068
Oman79.45806317095940263170959402
Lebanon58.28105045765326550457653265
Macau58.05504531108052145311080521
Jordan44.25603865464788738654647887
Azerbaijan45.24803784720406937847204069
Turkmenistan50.34603617988571436179885714
Bahrain38.95203217907359632179073596
Yemen29.07902537408643825374086438
Syria02216307512122163075121
Nepal28.92202091400495720914004957
Afghanistan19.99002023506333020235063330
Cambodia26.97902001674785820016747858
North Korea01678860183116788601831
Laos20.15301580570709015805707090
Georgia17.21401433272870714332728707
Palestine01339710000013397100000
Brunei13.32501140026687811400266878
Mongolia13.69601116035668511160356685
Armenia13.10501057229942510572299425
Tajikistan7.698069516793386951679338
Kyrgyzstan8.334065512911406551291140
Maldives5.749042242074884224207488
Timor-Leste3.145027032857522703285752
Bhutan2.840022126425872212642587
Taiwan601.431000




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