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Sub-region of Asia · Country Index 2026

Southern Asia

How are the countries of Southern Asia doing?

Half of Southern Asia’s 9 placed countries sit at or above 100th of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 14th of 21 sub-regions. Bhutan is placed highest, 44th; Afghanistan lowest, 172nd. None reaches the world’s top fifth.

Southern AsiaUN M49 034

Southern 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 Southern 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 Southern Asia

The subcontinent and its neighbours, from Iran and Afghanistan to Sri Lanka.

Southern Asia covers the Indian subcontinent and its neighbours, from Iran and Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east, and from the Himalaya to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. The Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra carry water from the mountains across some of the most densely farmed plains in the world, and the monsoon shapes life across most of the region.

The Indus valley civilisation, ancient Persia and the empires of India make it one of the oldest settled regions on Earth, and it is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Much of it came under British rule: India and Pakistan became independent in 1947 and Sri Lanka in 1948, and Bangladesh followed in 1971. Hundreds of languages are spoken, among them Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Persian and Tamil.

03Where

Southern 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 Southern 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
Southern Asia’s 9 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st178th
1Bhutan44 / 178between 44th and 53rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
2Maldives79 / 178between 69th and 98th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
3Sri Lanka86 / 178between 77th and 91st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4India88 / 178between 81st and 103rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5Nepal100 / 178between 91st and 110th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
6Bangladesh132 / 178between 121st and 139th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
7Iran145 / 178between 139th and 151st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
8Pakistan149 / 178between 145th and 155th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
9Afghanistan172 / 178between 169th and 175th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics

Southern 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 Southern Asia: Poverty & Inequality, 8th of 21 sub-regions. Weakest: Risk & Resilience, 19th of 22.

All topics
Southern Asia: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Poverty & InequalityEnvironment & SustainabilityEconomy & InnovationDigital & TechnologyEnergyFood & AgricultureMobility & TradeEducation & KnowledgeDemocracy & Civil LibertiesGovernance & InstitutionsHealth & WellbeingPeace & SecurityDevelopment & Human CapitalWork & LabourGender & EqualityRisk & ResilienceMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Bhutan7 of 15978 of 18168 of 176102 of 1981 of 19356 of 175No standing77 of 17175 of 19851 of 194117 of 20028 of 177133 of 19672 of 182123 of 18377 of 192No standingNo standing
Maldives9 of 159111 of 18179 of 176169 of 198163 of 19381 of 175No standing56 of 17195 of 198105 of 19464 of 20068 of 177103 of 19664 of 182149 of 18354 of 192No standingNo standing
Sri Lanka80 of 15987 of 18188 of 17687 of 19882 of 19371 of 17562 of 147121 of 17188 of 19871 of 19453 of 20086 of 17789 of 196160 of 182151 of 183102 of 192No standingNo standing
India22 of 15991 of 18186 of 1761 of 198159 of 19382 of 17515 of 14749 of 171122 of 19873 of 194150 of 200140 of 177114 of 19699 of 182150 of 183173 of 192No standingNo standing
Nepal42 of 15939 of 18197 of 176107 of 19854 of 193117 of 175No standing93 of 17196 of 198130 of 194143 of 20088 of 177145 of 196171 of 182125 of 183114 of 192No standingNo standing
Bangladesh59 of 15930 of 181117 of 17664 of 198183 of 19389 of 17585 of 147132 of 171151 of 198135 of 194136 of 200130 of 177138 of 196103 of 182167 of 183187 of 192No standingNo standing
Iran76 of 159172 of 18173 of 176100 of 198160 of 193139 of 175119 of 14796 of 171186 of 198168 of 19472 of 200165 of 17748 of 196175 of 182181 of 183153 of 192No standingNo standing
Pakistan63 of 15968 of 181159 of 17659 of 198104 of 193133 of 17582 of 147153 of 171155 of 198136 of 194170 of 200168 of 177154 of 196136 of 182170 of 183186 of 192No standingNo standing
AfghanistanNo standing55 of 181131 of 176196 of 19817 of 193161 of 175No standing156 of 171197 of 198179 of 194190 of 200160 of 177189 of 196182 of 182175 of 183176 of 192No standingNo standing
Region median42nd of 15978th of 18188th of 176100th of 198104th of 19389th of 17582nd of 14796th of 171122nd of 198130th of 194136th of 200130th of 177133rd of 196136th of 182151st of 183153rd of 192——
Among sub-regions8th of 219th of 2112th of 2113th of 2213th of 2213th of 2113th of 2116th of 2117th of 2217th of 2217th of 2217th of 2018th of 2218th of 2119th of 2119th of 22——

Columns run from the topic where Southern 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

Southern Asia in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Southern 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

    MaldivesIndia496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    MaldivesIndia0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

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

    No reading: Afghanistan

    NepalPakistanBangladeshIndiaSri LankaBhutanIranMaldives1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

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

    AfghanistanMaldives54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

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

    AfghanistanIran0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    BhutanAfghanistan0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Southern Asia’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Afghanistan41,454,761rank 36652,230rank 40—66.03rank 1890.496rank 18113.35rank 20
Bangladesh171,466,990rank 8130,170rank 958,677rank 12874.67rank 1110.685rank 1303.778rank 118
Bhutan786,385rank 16638,140rank 13216,744rank 9772.98rank 1260.698rank 1253.227rank 136
India1,438,069,596rank 12,973,190rank 710,039rank 12472rank 1390.685rank 1304.219rank 112
Iran90,608,707rank 171,622,500rank 1716,834rank 9677.65rank 750.799rank 758.301rank 50
Maldives525,994rank 172298rank 19924,401rank 7481.04rank 440.766rank 934.514rank 109
Nepal29,694,614rank 51143,350rank 935,277rank 14770.35rank 1530.622rank 14510.46rank 33
Pakistan247,504,495rank 5770,880rank 355,617rank 14467.65rank 1730.544rank 1685.42rank 83
Sri Lanka22,971,617rank 6161,860rank 12214,583rank 10477.48rank 770.776rank 894.005rank 115

07In records

Southern 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 Southern 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. Nepal150 → 145+5
  2. India133 → 130+3
  3. Iran77 → 75+2

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Maldives91 → 93−2
  2. Sri Lanka88 → 89−1
  3. Afghanistan180 → 181−1
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Southern 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

South-eastern Asia

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Places

Landmarks of Southern Asia

Two places from each member with a gallery on its profile.

  • Sixty Dome Mosque

    Sixty Dome Mosque

    Fifteenth-century mosque in Bagerhat, part of a historic mosque city.

    Photo: মোয়ায মাহমুদ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Ahsan Manzil

    Ahsan Manzil

    Former palace of the Nawabs of Dhaka on the Buriganga River.

    Photo: Md. Ahsanul Haque Nayem · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Taj Mahal, Agra, India.

    Taj Mahal

    White marble mausoleum in Agra, built for the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

    Photo: © Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Madrasa and tomb of Alauddin Khalji (historic Islamic school containing a tomb in Delhi, India)

    Qutb Minar

    Monuments of the Qutb complex in Delhi, whose minaret was begun in the late twelfth century.

    Photo: Akbarzoda · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • A 4 Megapixel picture of Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan.

    Badshahi Mosque

    Mughal-era mosque in Lahore, commissioned by Emperor Aurangzeb and completed in 1673.

    Photo: Ali Imran · CC BY-SA 2.5 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Faisal Mosque

    Faisal Mosque

    Modernist mosque at the foot of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad, completed in 1986.

    Photo: Ali Mujtaba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

11Analysis

Charts and analysis about Southern Asia’s countries

All charts

12Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Asia

13Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Southern Asia?

9 countries and territories: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Southern Asia is placed highest?

Bhutan, placed 44th of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Afghanistan is placed lowest, 172nd. 9 of the region’s 9 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Southern Asia compare with other regions?

Half of its 9 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 Southern Asia?

2,043,083,159 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 9 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Southern Asia?

By land area, India: 2,973,190 square kilometres (2024). By population, India: 1,438,069,596 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). Southern Asia: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/southern-asia

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