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How many countries are in South Asia?

South Asia has 8 countries by the usual definition: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The UN geoscheme adds Iran, making 9.

The count depends on whether Iran is included:

• 8 countries under the most common definition, which is also the membership of SAARC (the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation): Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• 9 countries under the UN geoscheme, which also includes Iran. We follow the UN scheme on our South Asia map, but most people think of Iran as part of the Middle East.

South Asian countries by population

South Asia, including Iran, has about 2.09 billion people, which makes it the most populous sub-region of Asia. India alone accounts for about 70% of that population and most of the land. Pakistan and Bangladesh also rank among the ten most populous countries in the world, while the Maldives is Asia's smallest country.

Much of the region sits on the Indian Plate, walled off from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush. That is why it is often called the Indian subcontinent. Nepal and Bhutan lie in the Himalayas, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are island nations, and Afghanistan forms a bridge to Central Asia.

Population: UN World Population Prospects 2024 (2025 estimates). Area: total area including inland water, standard UN / national reference figures.