Countries With the Highest Mountains: Ranked

Nepal contains more of the world's highest mountains than any other country, holding eight of the 14 peaks above 8,000 metres — including Mount Everest at 8,849 metres. China (Tibet) shares many of these summits, while Pakistan holds five eight-thousanders including K2 at 8,611 metres.

Introduction

There are exactly 14 mountains on Earth that rise above 8,000 metres, known collectively as the "eight-thousanders." Every single one lies in Asia, spread across the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges. These peaks are the ultimate prizes in mountaineering, and reaching their summits means entering the "death zone" above 8,000 metres, where the air holds barely a third of the oxygen found at sea level.

The eight-thousanders are concentrated in just a handful of countries along the collision zone where the Indian tectonic plate pushes into Eurasia. This guide ranks those nations by the height and number of their highest mountains.

Countries With the Highest Mountains

1. Nepal

• Nepal: Home to eight of the 14 eight-thousanders, more than any other country. These include Everest (8,849m, the highest point on Earth), Kangchenjunga (8,586m), Lhotse (8,516m), Makalu (8,485m), Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Annapurna. Several sit on Nepal's borders with China and India.

2. China (Tibet)

• China (Tibet): Shares Everest, whose northern side lies in Tibet, along with Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Kangchenjunga. China's Tibetan Plateau also contains Shishapangma (8,027m), the only eight-thousander located entirely within a single country's borders — China's.

3. Pakistan

• Pakistan: Holds five eight-thousanders in the Karakoram range, headlined by K2 (8,611m), the second-highest mountain in the world and widely regarded as the hardest to climb. The others are Nanga Parbat (8,126m), Gasherbrum I (8,080m), Broad Peak (8,051m), and Gasherbrum II (8,035m).

4. India

• India: Shares Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, on its border with Nepal. India's highest fully domestic summit is Nanda Devi at 7,816 metres, and the country holds numerous other peaks above 7,000 metres in the Himalaya.

5. Bhutan

• Bhutan: The small Himalayan kingdom is crowned by Gangkhar Puensum (7,570m), believed to be the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. Out of respect for local spiritual beliefs, Bhutan has banned mountaineering on its highest peaks.

Why the Himalayas Are So High

The world's highest mountains exist because of plate tectonics. Around 50 million years ago the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate, and it continues to push northward by a few centimetres each year. This slow-motion crumpling thrust up the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges, which are still rising today — Everest grows by a few millimetres annually.

This concentration explains why every eight-thousander lies within a compact arc across Nepal, China, Pakistan, and India. No mountain outside Asia comes close: the highest peak in South America, Aconcagua, tops out at 6,961 metres, well short of the 8,000-metre threshold.

Good to Know

Which country has the most high mountains?

Nepal has the most eight-thousanders, containing eight of the 14 mountains above 8,000 metres, including Mount Everest.

What is the highest mountain in the world?

Mount Everest, on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet), is the highest mountain above sea level at 8,849 metres.

How many mountains are above 8,000 metres?

There are exactly 14 mountains above 8,000 metres, all located in Asia across the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges. K2 in Pakistan is the second highest at 8,611 metres.