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Sub-region of Asia · Country Index 2026

Central Asia

How are the countries of Central Asia doing?

Half of Central Asia’s 5 placed countries sit at or above 100th of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 14th of 21 sub-regions. Kazakhstan is placed highest, joint 60th; Turkmenistan lowest, 148th. None reaches the world’s top fifth.

Central AsiaUN M49 143

Central Asia, shown in red on a map of the world

100th

median position of 178 · 14th of 21 sub-regions

Asia →median 91st

01Who is in it

The countries of Central Asia

Alphabetical, with each country’s own banner photograph. The position is its place in the whole world ranking, never within the region.

02The region

About Central Asia

The five former-Soviet republics between the Caspian Sea and China.

Central Asia lies between the Caspian Sea and China: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is a land of steppe, desert and high mountains, far from any ocean, where the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers flow down from the Pamirs and the Tian Shan.

Cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara grew rich on the Silk Roads, and the region was ruled in turn by Persian, Turkic and Mongol powers. It became part of the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century and then of the Soviet Union, and all five countries became independent in 1991. Turkic languages and Tajik, a form of Persian, are spoken alongside Russian.

03Where

Central Asia on the map

Each member shaded by its position in the Country Index 2026, darkest for the best placed; the countries across its land borders in grey. Hover a country for its position, or select it to open its profile.

Country Index position: 1st178thMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks

04Country Index 2026

Where Central Asia’s countries place

Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 178, never a second list within the region; “=” marks a position shared with another country. Hover the ⓘ for where a country would sit if any one key statistic were dropped.

The full Country Index 2026
Central Asia’s 5 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st178th
1Kazakhstan60 / 178between 53rd and 69th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2Kyrgyzstan87 / 178between 79th and 101st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
3Uzbekistan100 / 178between 94th and 108th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4Tajikistan125 / 178between 120th and 138th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
5Turkmenistan148 / 178between 136th and 156th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics

Central Asia among the 21 sub-regions with a median

14th of 21. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  1. Northern Europe6thPlaced countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 25th.
  2. Western Europe10thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
  3. Australia and New Zealand17thPlaced countries run from New Zealand 17th to Australia 24th.
  4. Northern America17thPlaced countries run from Canada 17th to United States 37th.
  5. Eastern Asia23rdPlaced countries run from South Korea 14th to Mongolia 73rd.
  6. Southern Europe32ndPlaced countries run from Slovenia 12th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 63rd.
  7. Eastern Europe39thPlaced countries run from Czechia 11th to Russia 68th.
  8. Polynesia70thPlaced countries run from Samoa 70th to Tonga 85th.
  9. South America74thPlaced countries run from Uruguay 34th to Venezuela 137th.
  10. Caribbean78thPlaced countries run from Barbados 63rd to Haiti 169th.
  11. Central America81stPlaced countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
  12. Western Asia93rdPlaced countries run from Cyprus 35th to Yemen 176th.
  13. South-eastern Asia95thPlaced countries run from Singapore 26th to Myanmar 153rd.
  14. Central Asia100thPlaced countries run from Kazakhstan 60th to Turkmenistan 148th.
  15. Southern Asia100thPlaced countries run from Bhutan 44th to Afghanistan 172nd.
  16. Melanesia106thPlaced countries run from Fiji 62nd to Papua New Guinea 138th.
  17. Southern Africa116thPlaced countries run from South Africa 102nd to Eswatini 140th.
  18. Northern Africa127thPlaced countries run from Tunisia 107th to Libya 174th.
  19. Eastern Africa143rdPlaced countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 177th.
  20. Western Africa144thPlaced countries run from Cabo Verde 74th to Guinea-Bissau 168th.
  21. Middle Africa161stPlaced countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 104th to Chad 175th.
  22. Micronesia—
  23. Asia, the whole continent91st
  24. The world’s midpoint88th
1st178thmedian

The square is each region’s median position; the grey bar runs from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country. Hover a row for their names.

05By subject

Topic by topic

Every country’s position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field; select a cell for the country’s page on the topic. Strongest for Central Asia: Poverty & Inequality, 3rd of 21 sub-regions. Weakest: Energy, 21st of 22.

All topics
Central Asia: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Poverty & InequalityEducation & KnowledgeRisk & ResilienceDevelopment & Human CapitalDigital & TechnologyPeace & SecurityFood & AgricultureHealth & WellbeingEconomy & InnovationWork & LabourEnvironment & SustainabilityGender & EqualityMobility & TradeGovernance & InstitutionsDemocracy & Civil LibertiesEnergyMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Kazakhstan11 of 15942 of 17123 of 19244 of 19649 of 19897 of 17797 of 17559 of 20065 of 17669 of 182170 of 18190 of 18388 of 14799 of 194139 of 198147 of 193No standingNo standing
Kyrgyzstan32 of 15917 of 17147 of 192112 of 196110 of 198110 of 177130 of 175113 of 200106 of 176125 of 182114 of 181107 of 183105 of 147137 of 194142 of 19815 of 193No standingNo standing
Uzbekistan91 of 1592 of 17139 of 19293 of 19663 of 19872 of 17791 of 17589 of 200118 of 176110 of 182138 of 181133 of 183110 of 147131 of 194158 of 198170 of 193No standingNo standing
Tajikistan104 of 15930 of 17174 of 192104 of 196133 of 198115 of 177104 of 175124 of 200154 of 176172 of 18272 of 181152 of 183No standing170 of 194185 of 19852 of 193No standingNo standing
TurkmenistanNo standing51 of 17145 of 19272 of 196180 of 19880 of 17787 of 175123 of 200130 of 176123 of 182173 of 181172 of 183No standing188 of 194190 of 198193 of 193No standingNo standing
Region median32nd of 15930th of 17145th of 19293rd of 196110th of 19897th of 17797th of 175113th of 200118th of 176123rd of 182138th of 181133rd of 183105th of 147137th of 194158th of 198147th of 193——
Among sub-regions3rd of 215th of 215th of 2210th of 2214th of 2214th of 2015th of 2115th of 2216th of 2116th of 2117th of 2117th of 2118th of 2119th of 2221st of 2221st of 22——

Columns run from the topic where Central Asia places best among sub-regions to the one where it places lowest. A region’s median on a topic needs at least two members with a standing; a hatched cell has no standing.

06In numbers

Central Asia in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Central Asia’s countries are the red ticks, and the dashed line is the world median. There is no regional average: a region has countries, not a life expectancy of its own.

All statistics

  • Population

    people · log scale

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · no better end

    KyrgyzstanTurkmenistanTajikistanKazakhstanUzbekistan496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    TajikistanKyrgyzstanUzbekistanTurkmenistanKazakhstan0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

    World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better

    TajikistanKyrgyzstanUzbekistanTurkmenistanKazakhstan1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better

    TurkmenistanKyrgyzstanTajikistanUzbekistanKazakhstan54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

    UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better

    TajikistanKyrgyzstanUzbekistanTurkmenistanKazakhstan0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    KyrgyzstanTurkmenistanUzbekistanKazakhstan0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Central Asia’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Kazakhstan20,330,104rank 642,699,700rank 937,851rank 5174.4rank 1170.837rank 604.771rank 102
Kyrgyzstan7,073,516rank 107191,800rank 877,878rank 13271.68rank 1430.72rank 1173.526rank 125
Tajikistan10,389,799rank 92138,790rank 945,062rank 14971.79rank 1400.691rank 1286.931rank 57
Turkmenistan7,364,438rank 105469,930rank 5319,314rank 8770.07rank 1550.764rank 954.267rank 111
Uzbekistan35,652,307rank 43438,510rank 5611,623rank 11672.39rank 1340.74rank 1074.622rank 106

07In records

Central Asia in records

The member at the extreme of each statistic, read from its newest edition. Where two members share the top, no record is named.

08Latest editions

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

The moves of Central Asia’s countries between each report’s two newest editions, in the publisher’s own ranks. A report whose field changed by more than 5% is left out.

Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Human Development Index: reference years 2022 (192 countries ranked) → 2023 (193 ranked), both from its 2025 report.

Improved most

rank before → after
  1. Turkmenistan96 → 95+1
  2. Kyrgyzstan118 → 117+1
  3. Tajikistan129 → 128+1

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Kazakhstan59 → 60−1
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Central Asia that share a land border with one of its members, with their world positions, and the sub-regions they belong to. Land borders only, as drawn on the map.

Eastern Asia

Eastern Europe

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Asia

11Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Central Asia?

5 countries and territories: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Central Asia is placed highest?

Kazakhstan, placed joint 60th of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Turkmenistan is placed lowest, 148th. 5 of the region’s 5 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Central Asia compare with other regions?

Half of its 5 placed countries sit at or above 100th of 178, which places it 14th of 21 sub-regions. The median across Asia is 91st. The middle of the whole field is 88th. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Central Asia?

80,810,164 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 5 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Central Asia?

By land area, Kazakhstan: 2,699,700 square kilometres (2024). By population, Uzbekistan: 35,652,307 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made
  1. Membership. Countries belong to regions by the United Nations’ M49 classification; each country declares its sub-region, and a continent is the sum of its sub-regions.
  2. Positions. Each country’s position is its Country Index 2026 result, unchanged. This page slices the world ranking by place; it does not re-rank anyone.
  3. The median. A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions: half sit at or above it, half below. With an even number of placed countries it takes the better of the two middle positions, since there is no country at a half place. Countries the index does not place are named, never counted in.
  4. A place among peers. Continents are compared with continents and sub-regions with sub-regions, never a part with the whole that contains it; regions sharing a median share a place. Nothing is weighted by population or size, and population and land area are the only figures ever added up.

Where the regions come from

United Nations Statistics Division, Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49). M49’s middle level (Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean) is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland are not in M49 and are placed by geography.

Where the positions come from

Every position is a country’s result in the Country Index 2026 or one of its topics, unchanged. The population and land-area figures are the UN DESA Population Division’s and the FAO’s, added up and shown with their year; every other statistic names its publisher beside its numbers.

Photographs

Each country’s own banner from its profile: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Central Asia: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/central-asia

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