How many people live in Asia?
About 4.83 billion people live in Asia's 49 countries (2025), around 59% of the world's population. India and China alone account for 2.88 billion.
The 49 countries of Asia had a combined population of about 4,827,201,978 in 2025. That is around 59% of the world's 8.23 billion people, more than every other continent combined. Add the more than 30 million people who live in Asian Russia (Siberia and the Russian Far East) and the total for the continent as a geographic landmass is a little higher still.
The population is extremely concentrated. India (1.46 billion) and China (1.42 billion) together account for 60% of Asia's people, and the ten most populous countries hold 85%.
Population by sub-region
| Sub-region | Population (2025) | Share of Asia |
|---|---|---|
| South Asia | 2.09 billion | 43.2% |
| East Asia | 1.64 billion | 34.1% |
| Southeast Asia | 700.0 million | 14.5% |
| West Asia | 314.3 million | 6.5% |
| Central Asia | 83.6 million | 1.7% |
South Asia is the most populous sub-region even though it covers far less land than East Asia, because the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Bengal delta are among the most densely settled farmland on Earth. Central Asia, much of it steppe, desert and mountain, has the smallest population.
The ten most populous Asian countries
| # | Country | Population (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 1,463,865,525 |
| 2 | China | 1,416,096,094 |
| 3 | Indonesia | 285,721,236 |
| 4 | Pakistan | 255,219,554 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 175,686,899 |
| 6 | Japan | 123,103,479 |
| 7 | Philippines | 116,786,962 |
| 8 | Vietnam | 101,598,527 |
| 9 | Iran | 92,417,681 |
| 10 | Turkey | 87,685,426 |
Is Asia's population still growing?
Yes, but it is slowing, and the trend differs by region. China's population has been falling since 2022, and Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are also shrinking as birth rates have dropped to some of the lowest in the world. Growth is now driven by South Asia, especially Pakistan and India, and by West Asian countries such as Iraq and Yemen. The UN projects Asia's population will peak around the middle of this century.
Population: UN World Population Prospects 2024 (2025 estimates). World total: UN WPP 2024.
Related questions
What percentage of the world's population lives in Asia?
About 59%. Roughly 4.8 billion of the world's 8.2 billion people live in Asia's 49 countries.
Which Asian country has the smallest population?
Brunei, with about 466,330 people, followed by the Maldives.