The 49 Countries in Asia (+United Nations Members)

Asia is the largest and most diverse continent, covering an area of more than 44.5 million square kilometers (17.2 million square miles), approximately 30% of the Earth’s landmass. The countries in Asia are home to an estimated 4.7 billion people, which accounts for approximately 60% of the world’s population.

This remarkable continent is not only vast but also rich in cultural and religious heritage, being the birthplace of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.

Countries of the World Map
Where is Asia? A detailed map showcasing six of the continents (Shutterstock)

Geographically, the Arctic Ocean bounds Asia to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the east, and the Indian Ocean to the south. This positioning contributes to its diverse climates, ranging from the subarctic conditions found in Siberia to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. 

Asia comprises 49 sovereign states that are recognized by the United Nations, along with non-sovereign territories and transcontinental countries.

Countries in Asia in alphabetical order

Here is the alphabetical list of Asia country names and their capital cities. We have also included the countries’ regions, the international standard for country codes (ISO 3166), and continents, as they may extend over more than one continent. View their country flags here.

CountryCountry CapitalCountry CodeRegionContinent
AfghanistanKabulAFSouth-Central AsiaAsia
ArmeniaYerevanAMCauscasus Region, Southwestern AsiaAsia
AzerbaijanBakuAZCauscasus Region, Southwestern AsiaAsia, Europe
BahrainManamaBHArabian Peninsula, Middle EastAsia
BangladeshDhakaBDSouthern AsiaAsia
BhutanThimphuBTSouthern AsiaAsia
BruneiBandar Seri BegawanBNSoutheastern AsiaAsia
CambodiaPhnom PenhKHSoutheastern AsiaAsia
ChinaBeijingCNEastern AsiaAsia
CyprusNicosiaCYMiddle EastAsia
EgyptCairoEGNortheastern Africa, Southwestern AsiaAfrica, Asia
GeorgiaTbilisiGECauscasus Region, Southwestern AsiaEurope, Asia
IndiaNew DelhiINSouthern AsiaAsia
IndonesiaJakartaIDSoutheastern AsiaAsia
IranTehranIRMiddle EastAsia
IraqBaghdadIQMiddle EastAsia
IsraelJerusalemILMiddle EastAsia
JapanTokyoJPEastern AsiaAsia
JordanAmmanJOMiddle EastAsia
KazakhstanAstanaKZCentral Asia, Eastern EuropeAsia, Europe
Korea, Democratic People's Republic ofPyongyangKPEastern AsiaAsia
KuwaitKuwait CityKWMiddle EastAsia
KyrgyzstanBishkekKGCentral AsiaAsia
LaosVientianeLASoutheastern AsiaAsia
LebanonBeirutLBMiddle EastAsia
MalaysiaFederal Territory of Kuala LumpurMYSoutheastern AsiaAsia
MaldivesMaléMVSouthern AsiaAsia
MongoliaUlaanbaatarMNCentral AsiaAsia
Myanmar (Burma)NaypyidawMMSoutheastern AsiaAsia
NepalKathmanduNPSouthern AsiaAsia
OmanMuscatOMArabian Peninsula, Middle EastAsia
PakistanIslamabadPKSouthern AsiaAsia
PhilippinesManilaPHSoutheastern AsiaAsia
QatarDohaQAArabian Peninsula, Middle EastAsia
Republic of Korea (South Korea)SeoulKREastern AsiaAsia
RussiaMoscowRUEastern Europe, Northern AsiaAsia, Europe
Saudi ArabiaRiyadhSAArabian Peninsula, Middle EastAsia
SingaporeSingaporeSGSoutheastern AsiaAsia
Sri LankaSri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital), Colombo (judicial capital)LKSouthern AsiaAsia
SyriaDamascusSYMIddle EastAsia
TaiwanTaipeiTWEastern AsiaAsia
TajikistanDushanbeTJCentral AsiaAsia
ThailandBangkokTHSoutheastern AsiaAsia
Timor-LesteDiliTLMaritime South-East AsiaAsia
Türkiye (Turkey)AnkaraTRSoutheastern Europe, Western AsiaEurope, Asia
TurkmenistanAshgabatTMCentral AsiaAsia
United Arab Emirates, TheAbu DhabiAEArabian Peninsula, Middle EastAsia
UzbekistanTashkentUZCentral AsiaAsia
VietnamHanoiVDSoutheastern AsiaAsia
YemenSana'aYEArabian Peninsula, Middle EastAsia

Related: How many countries are there in the world?

countries in asia map
Countries in Asia map (Shutterstock)

How many countries are in Asia?

There are 49 countries in Asia according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Factbook: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea (Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of), Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea (Republic of Korea), Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Türkiye (Turkey), Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.

Six of the 49 countries are located across more than one continent. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Türkiye (Turkey) are also found in Europe. A significant part of Egypt lies in Africa.

The United States currently does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation. If your country officially recognizes Taiwan, there are 50 countries in Asia.

United Nations members in Asia

The United Nations (UN) recognizes the following 49 sovereign nations in Asia:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. Armenia
  3. Azerbaijan
  4. Bahrain
  5. Bangladesh
  6. Bhutan
  7. Brunei Darussalam
  8. Cambodia
  9. China
  10. Cyprus
  11. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea/North Korea
  12. Egypt
  13. Georgia
  14. India
  15. Indonesia
  16. Iran (Islamic Republic of)
  17. Iraq
  18. Israel
  19. Japan
  20. Jordan
  21. Kazakhstan
  22. Kuwait
  23. Kyrgyzstan
  24. Lao People’s Democratic Republic/Laos
  25. Lebanon 
  26. Malaysia
  27. Maldives
  28. Mongolia
  29. Myanmar/Burma
  30. Nepal
  31. Oman
  32. Pakistan
  33. Philippines
  34. Qatar
  35. Republic of Korea/South Korea
  36. Russian Federation
  37. Saudi Arabia
  38. Singapore
  39. Sri Lanka
  40. Syrian Arab Republic
  41. Tajikistan
  42. Thailand
  43. Timor-Leste/East Timor
  44. Turkmenistan
  45. Türkiye/Turkey
  46. United Arab Emirates
  47. Uzbekistan
  48. Viet Nam/Vietnam
  49. Yemen

Learn about the other continents here.

Education writer at Facts Institute | Website

Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.

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