What countries are in Asia?
Asia has 49 countries, from Afghanistan to Yemen. Below they are grouped into East, Southeast, South, Central and West Asia, with each country's capital.
Below are all 49 countries in Asia, grouped by the five sub-regions of the UN geoscheme and listed alphabetically with their capitals. Each name links to a detailed map and country profile.
East Asia (6 countries)
- China, capital Beijing
- Japan, capital Tokyo
- Mongolia, capital Ulaanbaatar
- North Korea, capital Pyongyang
- South Korea, capital Seoul
- Taiwan, capital Taipei
Southeast Asia (11 countries)
- Brunei, capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia, capital Phnom Penh
- Indonesia, capital Jakarta
- Laos, capital Vientiane
- Malaysia, capital Kuala Lumpur
- Myanmar, capital Naypyidaw
- Philippines, capital Manila
- Singapore, capital Singapore
- Thailand, capital Bangkok
- Timor-Leste, capital Dili
- Vietnam, capital Hanoi
South Asia (9 countries)
- Afghanistan, capital Kabul
- Bangladesh, capital Dhaka
- Bhutan, capital Thimphu
- India, capital New Delhi
- Iran, capital Tehran
- Maldives, capital Malé
- Nepal, capital Kathmandu
- Pakistan, capital Islamabad
- Sri Lanka, capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Central Asia (5 countries)
- Kazakhstan, capital Astana
- Kyrgyzstan, capital Bishkek
- Tajikistan, capital Dushanbe
- Turkmenistan, capital Ashgabat
- Uzbekistan, capital Tashkent
West Asia (18 countries)
- Armenia, capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan, capital Baku
- Bahrain, capital Manama
- Cyprus, capital Nicosia
- Georgia, capital Tbilisi
- Iraq, capital Baghdad
- Israel, capital Jerusalem
- Jordan, capital Amman
- Kuwait, capital Kuwait City
- Lebanon, capital Beirut
- Oman, capital Muscat
- Palestine, capital Ramallah
- Qatar, capital Doha
- Saudi Arabia, capital Riyadh
- Syria, capital Damascus
- Turkey, capital Ankara
- United Arab Emirates, capital Abu Dhabi
- Yemen, capital Sanaʽa
Notes on the list
- Iran appears under South Asia because that is where the UN geoscheme places it. In everyday usage it is usually considered part of the Middle East.
- Taiwan and Palestine are included because they are self-governing, even though their status is disputed and neither is a full UN member.
- Russia is not listed. Most of its land is in Asia, but the UN classifies it as Eastern European. Egypt, whose Sinai Peninsula is in Asia, is listed with Africa.
- Hong Kong and Macau belong to China and are not listed separately.
Want sizes and populations too? See the rankings of Asian countries by population and by area.
Related questions
Which is the newest country in Asia?
Timor-Leste (East Timor), which became independent from Indonesian occupation in 2002 after a UN-administered transition. It also became the 11th member of ASEAN in 2025.
Which Asian countries are in the Middle East?
The Middle East usually means the Arab states of West Asia plus Israel, Turkey and Iran, and often Egypt. The South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) is part of West Asia in the UN scheme but is not usually called the Middle East.