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.

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.

Country	Country Capital	Country Code	Region	Continent
Afghanistan	Kabul	AF	South-Central Asia	Asia
Armenia	Yerevan	AM	Causcasus Region, Southwestern Asia	Asia
Azerbaijan	Baku	AZ	Causcasus Region, Southwestern Asia	Asia, Europe
Bahrain	Manama	BH	Arabian Peninsula, Middle East	Asia
Bangladesh	Dhaka	BD	Southern Asia	Asia
Bhutan	Thimphu	BT	Southern Asia	Asia
Brunei	Bandar Seri Begawan	BN	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Cambodia	Phnom Penh	KH	Southeastern Asia	Asia
China	Beijing	CN	Eastern Asia	Asia
Cyprus	Nicosia	CY	Middle East	Asia
Egypt	Cairo	EG	Northeastern Africa, Southwestern Asia	Africa, Asia
Georgia	Tbilisi	GE	Causcasus Region, Southwestern Asia	Europe, Asia
India	New Delhi	IN	Southern Asia	Asia
Indonesia	Jakarta	ID	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Iran	Tehran	IR	Middle East	Asia
Iraq	Baghdad	IQ	Middle East	Asia
Israel	Jerusalem	IL	Middle East	Asia
Japan	Tokyo	JP	Eastern Asia	Asia
Jordan	Amman	JO	Middle East	Asia
Kazakhstan	Astana	KZ	Central Asia, Eastern Europe	Asia, Europe
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of	Pyongyang	KP	Eastern Asia	Asia
Kuwait	Kuwait City	KW	Middle East	Asia
Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek	KG	Central Asia	Asia
Laos	Vientiane	LA	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Lebanon	Beirut	LB	Middle East	Asia
Malaysia	Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur	MY	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Maldives	Malé	MV	Southern Asia	Asia
Mongolia	Ulaanbaatar	MN	Central Asia	Asia
Myanmar (Burma)	Naypyidaw	MM	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Nepal	Kathmandu	NP	Southern Asia	Asia
Oman	Muscat	OM	Arabian Peninsula, Middle East	Asia
Pakistan	Islamabad	PK	Southern Asia	Asia
Philippines	Manila	PH	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Qatar	Doha	QA	Arabian Peninsula, Middle East	Asia
Republic of Korea (South Korea)	Seoul	KR	Eastern Asia	Asia
Russia	Moscow	RU	Eastern Europe, Northern Asia	Asia, Europe
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	SA	Arabian Peninsula, Middle East	Asia
Singapore	Singapore	SG	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Sri Lanka	Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital), Colombo (judicial capital)	LK	Southern Asia	Asia
Syria	Damascus	SY	MIddle East	Asia
Taiwan	Taipei	TW	Eastern Asia	Asia
Tajikistan	Dushanbe	TJ	Central Asia	Asia
Thailand	Bangkok	TH	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Timor-Leste	Dili	TL	Maritime South-East Asia	Asia
Türkiye (Turkey)	Ankara	TR	Southeastern Europe, Western Asia	Europe, Asia
Turkmenistan	Ashgabat	TM	Central Asia	Asia
United Arab Emirates, The	Abu Dhabi	AE	Arabian Peninsula, Middle East	Asia
Uzbekistan	Tashkent	UZ	Central Asia	Asia
Vietnam	Hanoi	VD	Southeastern Asia	Asia
Yemen	Sana'a	YE	Arabian Peninsula, Middle East	Asia

Related: How many countries are there in the world?

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.