Nepal has the highest mountain — Everest, at 8,849 m — but Nepal is not the highest country. By average elevation across the whole territory, the title goes to Bhutan, whose mean height is roughly 3,280 m. The rest of the top of the list is a tight cluster of Himalayan and Central Asian states.
Highest by average (mean) elevation
- Bhutan — about 3,280 m. Almost the entire country is mountainous.
- Nepal — about 3,265 m, dragged up by the High Himalaya despite a low, hot southern strip.
- Tajikistan — about 3,190 m; more than half the country lies above 3,000 m in the Pamirs.
- Kyrgyzstan — about 2,990 m, almost entirely within the Tian Shan.
- Antarctica — about 2,300 m, but it is not a country.
- Lesotho — about 2,160 m, and the only country in the world whose entire territory lies above 1,000 m.
- Andorra — about 1,996 m, the highest country in Europe by mean elevation.
- Afghanistan — about 1,885 m.
- Chile — about 1,870 m, lifted by the Andes.
- China — about 1,840 m, thanks to the Tibetan Plateau.
Lesotho: the highest lowest point
Lesotho holds a record no other country can match: its lowest point, where the Orange and Makhaleng rivers meet, is 1,400 m above sea level — higher than the lowest point of any other country on Earth. There is nowhere in Lesotho you could stand below 1,400 m.
Other ways to be the "highest" country
- Highest capital city: La Paz, Bolivia, at about 3,640 m (Sucre, the constitutional capital, is lower). Quito and Bogotá follow.
- Highest single point: Nepal (Everest), then China (which shares Everest's summit ridge) and Pakistan (K2, 8,611 m).
- Highest permanently inhabited settlement: La Rinconada, Peru, at about 5,100 m.
If you came here for La Paz and Quito, the highest-capitals guide ranks them properly with the altitudes.
Highest capital cities →