Landlocked Countries: 44 Nations Without Ocean Access

A landlocked country is a sovereign state entirely surrounded by land with no coastline on any ocean or sea. There are 44 universally recognized landlocked countries (plus 4 partially recognized). They face unique economic and geopolitical challenges due to dependence on transit states for maritime trade.

By Continent

Africa (16)

Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe — plus Botswana, Eswatini (sometimes classified as Southern Africa). Ethiopia lost its coast (Eritrea) in 1993.

Asia (12)

Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan — plus Armenia, Azerbaijan (Caspian Sea is landlocked; no ocean access). Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country (2.7M km²).

Europe (14)

Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland — plus Vatican City (city-state). Europe has the most landlocked countries of any continent.

South America (2)

Bolivia, Paraguay. Bolivia lost its coast to Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884)—a defining national trauma.

North America (0)

No landlocked sovereign states. All continental nations have coastlines (Canada, USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama).

Economic Implications

• Transit costs: Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) pay 2–3× more for freight than coastal neighbors.
• Trade dependence: Reliant on neighbors' ports, infrastructure, stability. Bolivia-Chile, Ethiopia-Djibouti, Uganda-Kenya are critical corridors.
• Legal framework: UNCLOS Art. 125 grants right of access to/from sea; Almaty Programme (2003) and Vienna Programme (2014) address LLDC needs.

Double Landlocked

Only two countries are landlocked by landlocked countries: Liechtenstein (surrounded by Switzerland, Austria) and Uzbekistan (surrounded by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan).