Asia

Largest Countries:: Russia, China
Number of Countries:: 51
Land Area:: 49.2M km² (33.06%)

Asia is the largest and most populous of Earth's continents, and is located in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Asia comprises 33.06% of the world's land area, along with 62.18% of the world's current population. It also has the fifth-highest ranked growth rate today, and its population almost quadrupled during the 20th century. The estimated population for Asia is approximately 4,977,954,915.

4,977,954,915

Total Population

101.10/km²

Density

62.18%

% of World Population

Asia Population by Country

< 1M

1M - 10M

10M - 50M

50M - 100M

100M - 300M

> 300M

51 countries

Country	Population ↓	Density
India	1,463,870,000	445
China	1,416,100,000	146
Indonesia	285,721,000	150
Pakistan	255,220,000	289
Bangladesh	175,687,000	1,191
Russia	143,997,000	8
Japan	123,103,000	326
Philippines	116,787,000	341
Vietnam	101,599,000	307
Iran	92,417,700	56
Turkey	87,685,400	112
Thailand	71,619,900	140
Myanmar	54,850,600	81
South Korea	51,667,000	516
Iraq	47,020,800	107
Afghanistan	43,844,100	67
Yemen	41,773,900	79
Uzbekistan	37,053,400	83
Malaysia	35,977,800	109
Saudi Arabia	34,566,300	16
Nepal	29,618,100	201
North Korea	26,571,000	220
Syria	25,620,400	138
Sri Lanka	23,229,500	354
Taiwan	23,112,800	639
Kazakhstan	20,843,800	8
Cambodia	17,848,000	99
Jordan	11,520,700	129
United Arab Emirates	11,346,000	136
Tajikistan	10,786,700	75
Azerbaijan	10,397,700	120
Israel	9,517,180	458
Laos	7,873,050	33
Turkmenistan	7,618,850	16
Hong Kong	7,396,080	6,699
Kyrgyzstan	7,295,030	36
Singapore	5,870,750	8,269
Lebanon	5,849,420	560
Palestine	5,589,620	899
Oman	5,494,690	18
Kuwait	5,026,080	282
Georgia	3,806,670	55
Mongolia	3,517,100	2
Qatar	3,115,890	269
Armenia	2,952,360	99
Bahrain	1,643,330	2,148
Timor Leste	1,418,520	95
Bhutan	796,682	21
Macau	722,007	21,946
Maldives	529,676	1,766
Brunei	466,330	81

Asia Overview

Asia is the largest and most populous of earth’s continents and its located in both the northern and eastern hemispheres. Asia comprises a full 30% of the world’s land area with 60% of the world’s current population. It also has the highest growth rate today, and its population almost quadrupled during the 20th century. The estimated population for Asia in 2016 is 4.4 billion.

Asia comprises the eastern 4/5 of Eurasia, bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Indian Ocean on the south and the Arctic Ocean on the north. There are a total of 48 countries in Asia. In 2016, the population of Asia is estimated at 4,434,846,235. Russia is excluded from Asia’s population, although there are about 40 million Russians who live in Asia, or east of the Ural Mountains.

Continents Listing

Most Populous Countries in Asia

India

1,463,870,000

China

1,416,100,000

Asia has the two most populous countries in its borders: China and India. China is currently the most populous country on earth with an estimated population in 2016 of 1,377,124,512. It accounts for 31.69% of Asia’s total population and over 18% of the world’s population. India is not too far behind with an estimated population of 1,285,800,000, accounting for 29.36% of the continent’s population amd 17.5% of the world’s population. It’s estimated that India’s population will surpass China’s by 2022, when each country will have a population of about 1.45 billion people.

Continents Listing

Least Populous Countries in Asia

Maldives

529,676

Brunei

466,330

The least populous country in Asia is the Maldives, with an estimated population of 345,000. The Maldives is also one of the smallest countries on earth with just 298 square kilometers (115 square miles) of area, 99% of which is water. This tiny country has a population density of 1,065 people per square kilometer (2,758/square mile), which makes it the 12th most densely populated country on earth.

Following behind the Maldives is Brunei, the 50th least populous country in Asia with an estimated 2016 population of 421,000. Located in Southeast Asia, Brunei is surrounded by Sarawak, Malaysia, and it’s divided into two parts. It’s the only sovereign state fully on the island of Borneo, and one of the richest countries due to its natural gas and petroleum fields with a public debt that remains below 3%.

Continents Listing

Asia's Population Growth

Asia Population

Asia’s growth rate is very high, quadrupling in the last century. Given its wealth of resources and ecological and biological variety, it’s in the perfect position to support this growth as well. Unfortunately, Asia’s rapid growth and fast economic development is threatening its limited resources through quick expansion, destruction of natural habits and urbanization.

It’s predicted that Asia’s population will continue to grow for quite some time, which will continue to strain its resources. Based on current estimates, it’s projected that national populations will grow in every country of Asia with the exception of Japan and Kazakhstan through 2050. Some countries, including Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan, will double in population during this time while India, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries will see especially high growth rates.

Unfortunately, it’s currently projected that the countries which will grow the fastest are the ones with the lowest income in the world, and these countries will be the least capable of handling the extra stress on resources.

Is Asia a Continent?

Yes, Asia is a continent. It is the largest and most populous continent. It borders the Indian Ocean to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.