Capital cities of Asia: key facts and context

Asia has 46 capitals across the world's largest continent. New Delhi is the most populous, with over 32 million residents in its metro area, more than any other national capital in the world. The smallest is Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei at around 100,700. Myanmar moved its capital from Yangon to the purpose-built city of Naypyidaw in 2006; despite covering an area larger than London, Naypyidaw has a population of roughly 900,000 and is notable for roads and stadiums built at a scale that significantly exceeds the city's actual population. Jerusalem remains one of the most politically contested capitals in the world: Israel designates it as its capital, but most countries and the United Nations do not recognize this claim and maintain embassies in Tel Aviv. Kazakhstan's capital was renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan in 2019, then back to Astana in 2022 after the former president lost political standing. A less-known fact: Islamabad replaced Karachi as Pakistan's capital in 1967. Karachi remains far larger, with over 14 million residents to Islamabad's roughly 1 million.