South Asian Countries: Full List, Capitals, and Map

South Asia is a geographic subregion of the Asian continent, located south of Central Asia and west of Southeast Asia.

For clarity and consistency, this page follows the United Nations (UN) geoscheme, which defines South Asia as a distinct subregion used in international statistics and global datasets.

List of countries in South Asia

According to the UN geoscheme, South Asia consists of nine sovereign countries:

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• India
• Iran
• Maldives
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka

These countries are grouped together based on their geographic position on the Indian subcontinent and surrounding regions.

South Asian countries table

The table below lists South Asian countries along with their capitals, population estimates, and land area, based on international data sources.

For broader context, you can also explore how these nations compare in size and population across the continent.

South Asia and regional overlap

South Asia borders several other Asian subregions, which can lead to overlap in non-UN definitions:

• Afghanistan is sometimes grouped with Central Asia or the Greater Middle East in political or cultural contexts but is classified as Southern Asia under the UN geoscheme.
• Iran is classified as part of Southern Asia under the UN geoscheme, although it is often grouped with Western Asia or the Middle East in political or cultural contexts.
• Myanmar is occasionally linked historically to South Asia but is classified as Southeastern Asia.

Despite these overlaps, the UN geoscheme treats South Asia as a clearly defined geographic unit.

Geographic characteristics of South Asia

South Asia is characterized by:

• The Indian subcontinent and surrounding plateaus
• Major mountain systems such as the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush
• Large river systems including the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra
• Extensive coastlines along the Indian Ocean

South Asia vs the Indian Subcontinent

In cultural and academic geography, South Asia is often defined more narrowly as the “Indian subcontinent.”

Sources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica typically include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, with Afghanistan and the Maldives sometimes included.

Why South Asia matters in global statistics

South Asia is widely used as a regional category by:

• The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)
• International development agencies
• Demographic, economic, and environmental datasets

Using a fixed geographic definition ensures consistency across global comparisons.

UN geoscheme context

To help place Asia within the wider UN classification system, the global regions map below shows how all world subregions are organized.

The UN geoscheme groups every member state into a clearly defined region, which allows for consistent comparisons across countries and continents.

Antarctica is not included because the framework applies only to UN member states.

Within Asia, the UN recognizes five subregions: Central Asia, Western Asia, Southern Asia, Eastern Asia and Southeastern Asia.

In total, the geoscheme identifies 22 geographical subregions worldwide.