Five Most Populous Countries in Asia (2023 Estimates)

By population (2023 UN estimates), Asia's five largest nations:

1. China — 1.425 billion (Beijing; 9.6M km²; #2 nominal GDP, #1 PPP)
2. India — 1.428 billion (New Delhi; 3.3M km²; #5 nominal, #3 PPP) — *now slightly larger than China
3. Indonesia — 277 million (Jakarta; 1.9M km²; #16 nominal, #7 PPP)
4. Pakistan — 240 million (Islamabad; 0.8M km²; #29 nominal, #25 PPP)
5. Bangladesh — 173 million (Dhaka; 0.15M km²; #41 nominal, #34 PPP)

Note: India surpassed China in 2023 as the world's most populous country. "Major" can also mean by economy (add Japan, South Korea) or area (add Russia, Kazakhstan), but by population these are the top five.