Full list of the world's 44 landlocked countries - and two are double landlocked

A landlocked country is defined as one without access to a coastline. (Image: Getty)

Broadly speaking, being a landlocked country is fundamentally disadvantageous, with 44 countries worldwide having lost the geography lottery of life.

Of course, not all countries are landlocked equally, and some do better than others despite their geographic limitations.

But naturally, the lack of access to international waters has economic implications. It deprives nations of access to fishing and maritime trade and makes them reliant on neighbouring countries to connect with the rest of the world.

A landlocked nation is defined as one without access to a coastline. Some have been able to counter the limitations economically by developing infrastructure to enable international trade, but others, particularly in Africa, have been unable to do so.

The list of landlocked countries is eclectic, consisting of some of the largest and smallest nations on earth and everything in between.

San Marino is one of the smallest landlocked nations on earth. (Image: Getty)

Some are surrounded completely by one nation, whilst others are surrounded entirely by fellow landlocked countries.

Kazakhstan is the largest of the planet’s landlocked countries, with a mammoth 2,724,900 square kilometres of territory, making it one of the fastest on Earth.

But the size and lack of access to water is a big part of why Kazakhstan is one of the most sparsely populated countries on earth, with some central areas being over 700 miles away from a water source, making it difficult for significant populations to be sustained.

No such problems exist for Ethiopia, whose more modest size has enabled it to become one of the most populous countries on earth, with a population of 81 million.

Many of the countries on the list are landlocked because of their diminutive size, with the smallest nation-state, Vatican City, being entirely surrounded by Italy, along with fellow landlocked state San Marino.

Kazakhstan is by far the largest landlocked nation. (Image: Getty)

With 81million people, Ethiopia is the most densely populated. (Image: Getty)

Some nations are so landlocked that they are landlocked entirely by nations that are themselves landlocked.

Liechtenstein is landlocked by Switzerland, which is itself landlocked by four countries, whilst Uzbekistan is surrounded by five nations that are also devoid of coastline.

There are, however, some advantages to being landlocked.

Firstly, it provides some protection from natural disasters, with landlocked countries often avoiding bad weather effects caused by oceans, like tsunamis and hurricanes.

Similarly, it makes them harder to invade, as many powers have found in Afghanistan over the centuries, although surprisingly, ten still maintain a standing navy to patrol large bodies of water such as seas, lakes, rivers, and other endorheic basins.

These include Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Central African Republic, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Laos, Paraguay, Rwanda, Uganda, and West Bank.

Full list of landlocked countries:

Europe

Austria
Serbia
Hungary
Slovakia
Switzerland
Belarus
North Macedonia
Czech Republic
Kosovo *
Luxembourg
Moldova
Liechtenstein
Transnistria *
Andorra
San Marino
Vatican City

Africa

Zambia
Mali
Niger
Ethiopia
South Sudan
Central African Republic - Standing Navy
Chad
Burkina Faso
Uganda - Standing Navy
Rwanda - Standing Navy
Zimbabwe
Botswana
Burundi
Malawi
Eswatini
Lesotho

Asia

Afghanistan
Azerbaijan - Standing Navy
Kazakhstan - Standing Navy
Uzbekistan
Laos - Standing Nazy
Armenia
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan - Standing Navy
Artsakh *
Mongolia
Bhutan
Nepal
South Ossetia *
West Bank * - Standing Navy

South America

Bolivia - Standing Navy
Paraguay - Standing Navy

*Partially recognised states or states with limited recognition