How Many Countries Are in Asia? (48 Total)

48, by the same rule as every continent on this site

The 48 figure follows the UN's M49 geographic classification, the same source behind this site's world total of 195 and its European count of 44. Under that scheme, Türkiye, Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan are all classified as Asian, even though each sits at the edge of Europe geographically, culturally, or institutionally. Egypt, despite the Sinai Peninsula's location east of the Suez Canal, is classified as African in full, since the vast majority of its land and population sit on the African side. Neither placement is a factual error; both are the UN's own dividing lines for a landmass that has never had a single, universally agreed border with its neighboring continents.

Why published answers range from 46 to 51

Lower counts, closer to 46, usually treat Türkiye, Cyprus, and the Caucasus states as European instead, subtracting them from Asia's total. Higher counts, closer to 51, add Taiwan as an independent country. Taiwan governs itself, has its own military, currency, and elections, and meets most working definitions of statehood, but it is not a member of the United Nations: the UN transferred China's seat from the Republic of China, based in Taipei, to the People's Republic of China in 1971, and while eleven UN member states still maintain formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, no state maintains official relations with both Taipei and Beijing at once. This site follows the UN member and observer state list everywhere, which is why Taiwan is not one of the 195 countries in the Geography app or in this count of 48, a decision explained in full on the Taiwan sovereignty explainer. A reader who wants Taiwan included is not wrong to count it; they are using a different, defensible standard for what counts as a country.

All 48, by subregion

The UN groups Asia into five subregions: Central, Eastern, South-eastern, Southern, and Western Asia. Western Asia is the largest with 18 countries, most of them in the Middle East and the Gulf; Central and Eastern Asia are the smallest, with 5 each. Here is every country this site counts, with its capital and subregion.

Country	Capital	Subregion
Kazakhstan	Astana	Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek	Central Asia
Tajikistan	Dushanbe	Central Asia
Turkmenistan	Ashgabat	Central Asia
Uzbekistan	Tashkent	Central Asia
China	Beijing	Eastern Asia
Japan	Tokyo	Eastern Asia
Mongolia	Ulaanbaatar	Eastern Asia
North Korea	Pyongyang	Eastern Asia
South Korea	Seoul	Eastern Asia
Brunei	Bandar Seri Begawan	South-eastern Asia
Cambodia	Phnom Penh	South-eastern Asia
Indonesia	Jakarta	South-eastern Asia
Laos	Vientiane	South-eastern Asia
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	South-eastern Asia
Myanmar	Naypyidaw	South-eastern Asia
Philippines	Manila	South-eastern Asia
Singapore	Singapore	South-eastern Asia
Thailand	Bangkok	South-eastern Asia
Timor-Leste	Dili	South-eastern Asia
Vietnam	Hanoi	South-eastern Asia
Afghanistan	Kabul	Southern Asia
Bangladesh	Dhaka	Southern Asia
Bhutan	Thimphu	Southern Asia
India	New Delhi	Southern Asia
Iran	Tehran	Southern Asia
Maldives	Malé	Southern Asia
Nepal	Kathmandu	Southern Asia
Pakistan	Islamabad	Southern Asia
Sri Lanka	Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte	Southern Asia
Armenia	Yerevan	Western Asia
Azerbaijan	Baku	Western Asia
Bahrain	Manama	Western Asia
Cyprus	Nicosia	Western Asia
Georgia	Tbilisi	Western Asia
Iraq	Baghdad	Western Asia
Israel	Jerusalem	Western Asia
Jordan	Amman	Western Asia
Kuwait	Kuwait City	Western Asia
Lebanon	Beirut	Western Asia
Oman	Muscat	Western Asia
Palestine	Ramallah	Western Asia
Qatar	Doha	Western Asia
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	Western Asia
Syria	Damascus	Western Asia
Türkiye	Ankara	Western Asia
United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi	Western Asia
Yemen	Sanaa	Western Asia

Largest, smallest, and most populous

By land area, China is Asia's largest country, at roughly 9.56 million square kilometers, well ahead of India at about 3.29 million and Kazakhstan at about 2.72 million. Russia would be larger still if it were counted here rather than in Europe. By population, India has overtaken China as the continent's and the world's most populous country, with a UN estimate of about 1.46 billion people in 2025 against China's roughly 1.41 billion, a crossover the UN population division dated to April 2023, after decades of China holding the top spot. At the small end, the Maldives is Asia's smallest country by land area, a scatter of islands totaling around 300 square kilometers, while Brunei, on the island of Borneo, has the smallest population of any Asian country, at about 466,000 people.

Quick facts

This site counts 48 Asian countries, following the UN's M49 geographic classification.
Türkiye, Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan are counted as Asian here, though some other sources place some of them in Europe.
Taiwan is not counted as a country on this site, because it is not a UN member or observer state.
India is Asia's most populous country; China is the largest by land area.
The Maldives is Asia's smallest country by land area; Brunei has the smallest population.

Common questions

How many countries are in Asia in 2026?

Asia has 48 countries by the UN-based count this site uses. Other totals range from 46, if Türkiye and the Caucasus states are counted as European, to 51, if Taiwan is added as an independent country.

Is Taiwan counted as a country in Asia?

Not on this site. Taiwan governs itself and meets most practical definitions of statehood, but it is not a member of the United Nations, whose China seat has been held by the People's Republic of China since 1971. This site follows the UN member and observer list, so Taiwan is outside the count of 48.

Is Egypt part of Asia?

No. Egypt is classified as an African country in this count, even though the Sinai Peninsula, a small part of its territory, sits geographically in Asia. The overwhelming majority of Egypt's land, population, and capital are in Africa.

What is the largest country in Asia?

China is Asia's largest country by land area, at roughly 9.56 million square kilometers, ahead of India at about 3.29 million and Kazakhstan at about 2.72 million. If Russia were counted as Asian rather than European, it would be larger still, since most of its territory lies east of the Ural Mountains.

What is the most populous country in Asia?

India is Asia's most populous country, with a UN estimate of about 1.46 billion people in 2025, ahead of China's roughly 1.41 billion. The UN population division dated the crossover to April 2023, after decades of China holding the larger total.

How many countries are in Asia?