Both in terms of area and population, Asia is the world’s largest continent. The continent is renowned for both its vast stretches of extremely low population density and its numerous, densely populated cities.
Here are Asia’s ten least populated countries or nations.
Maldives – 392,709
The Maldives are made up of 26 atolls that are scattered across a 298 square kilometre area of the Indian Ocean. Southwest India and Sri Lanka are where the South Asian island nation is situated. Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both area and population, with only 392,709 people.
Despite being the least populated country in Asia, it boasts one of the highest birth rates in the world. The outcome is a burden on the islands’ meagre resources, and the wildlife is in danger. While Sunni Islam is the official religion of the nation, the Dhivehi make up the majority of its ethnic population. The national language of people from the Maldives is Maldivian, an Indo-Aryan language.
Brunei Darussalam 443,593
A little nation called Brunei is situated on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. Except for a coastline along the South China Sea, the nation is almost entirely encircled by Sarawak, a Malaysian state. With only 443,593 people, as of 2017, Brunei is the second-least populated nation in Asia.
The official language of Brunei is Standard Malay, and 65.7% of the population is ethnically Malay. The majority of people in this country practice Islam.
Bhutan 758,288
In South Asia, there is a tiny, mountainous nation called Bhutan. The country is blessed with natural beauty and distinctive culture and is situated in the Eastern Himalayas.
Bhutan is the third least populous country in Asia, with only 758,288 people residing there in a 38,394 square kilometre territory.
Ngalop and Sharchop are the two main ethnic groupings in Bhutan, and Dzongkha is the official language of the country. 75.3% of Bhutanese people identify as practising Lama Buddhists.
Timor-Leste 1,291,358
East Timor is an island country in Maritime Southeast Asia that takes approximately 14,874 square kilometres of the island’s eastern half. According to population, it is Asia’s seventh-smallest nation. 1,291,358 people are living in East Timor as of 2017.
The majority of ethnic groups in the nation are Austronesians and Papuans, and as a result, Timor-Leste is home to speakers of both of those languages. The most practised religion in East Timor is Christianity.
Bahrain 1,410,942
Roughly 1,410,942 inhabitants are living on this little island nation in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain Island, which is bordered by other smaller islands and islets, serves as the focal point of the country’s archipelago. Foreigners made up a sizable portion of the population, with another portion of the labour hailing from South Asia. The nation has the fourth-highest population density on the entire planet.
The majority of the population of the nation resides in the two cities of Al Muharraq and Manama. Muslims make up around 70.2% of the population, making Islam the state religion. Bahrain’s official language is Arabic, but English is also extensively used in Bahrain.
Qatar 2,314,307
Qatar is a sovereign state that borders Saudi Arabia on all four sides and is located on the Qatar Peninsula in Western Asia. It has a coastline that runs along the Persian Gulf. Due to the enormous migrant workforce’s shifting numbers, the country’s population varies greatly.
The nation had 2,314,307 people living there as of 2017. Only 12.10% of the country’s population are Qataris themselves, while 25% are of ethnic Indian descent.
The national dialect is Qatari Arabic, while Arabic is the official language of the nation. In Qatar, the majority of people practice Islam.
Kuwait 2,875,422
The population of Kuwait, a country in Western Asia, is estimated to be 2,875,422. However, Kuwait’s Public Authority for Civil Information believes that the true number is 4,437,590, with approximately 70% of the population being foreigners.
The Kuwaiti government has highlighted the high percentage of ex-pats in its population as a problem, and deportation measures have been started there.
Kuwait has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world thanks to the oil business, which serves as the foundation of its economy. Kuwait is a country where Islam is the predominant religion, and Kuwaiti Arabic is also utilized in daily life. Modern Standard Arabic is the official language of Kuwait.
Mongolia 3,068,243
Mongolia has very little agricultural land and is one of the least inhabited nations in Asia because a big portion of the country is covered in mountains and deserts.
About 3,068,243 people were reportedly living in Mongolia as of 2016. In and around Ulaanbaatar, the nation’s capital, live between 40 and 45 per cent of the total population. The primary religion in Mongolia is Buddhism, while the official language and most generally used is Mongolian.
Oman 4,613,241
With coasts on both the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, Oman is a country that may be found in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula. Oman has 4,613,241 residents as of 2017. Muscat, the nation’s capital, and its neighbouring districts are home to almost half of the people.
Therefore, urban areas are home to 78% of Oman’s population. The majority of Oman’s population—nearly 45%—is made up of expatriates from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Morocco.
In Oman, the majority of people practice Islam, which is the state religion. They speak Arabic.
Turkmenistan 5,351,277
With 5,351,277 inhabitants, Turkmenistan is the tenth least populated nation in Asia. The nation is located in Central Asia and spans 491,210 square kilometres, borders Iran, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the Caspian Sea.
The capital of Turkmenistan is Ashgabat. Turkmen people make up over 85% of the population. Islam is the main religion of Turkmenistan, where Turkmen is also the national language.
Conclusion
In Asia, it’s the countries with a small area that also have the smallest population. Maldives takes up the number one position as the country with the fewest inhabitants in Asia. Other small Asian countries such as Brunei Darussalam, Bhutan, Timor-Leste, and others are steadily rallying behind it.
We hope this article provided sufficient information for you. The population numbers may change are more people move to those countries, or probably if more people are born there.
