The United Nations is marking the International Day of Awareness of the Special Development Needs and Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries by highlighting the barriers limiting growth for more than 600 million people.
Observed annually on 6 August, the international day raises awareness of the unique economic and development challenges facing the world’s 32 Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), which lack direct access to the sea and rely on neighbouring countries to reach international markets.
Without their own seaports, these nations depend on transit corridors through neighbouring states to import goods and export products. This geographical reality increases transport costs, creates border delays and exposes economies to political or economic instability beyond their control.
According to the United Nations, transport costs for landlocked developing countries are more than double those of neighbouring coastal nations, reducing export competitiveness, discouraging foreign investment and slowing economic growth.
The challenge is particularly significant in Africa, which is home to 16 of the world’s 32 landlocked developing countries. The remaining countries are located across Asia, Europe and Latin America.
The smallest landlocked developing country is Bhutan, with a population of fewer than one million people, while Ethiopia, home to around 135 million people, is the largest.
Geography also plays a significant role. The average distance between a landlocked developing country and the nearest seaport is approximately 1,370 kilometres. Kazakhstan is the world’s most isolated landlocked nation, located around 3,750 kilometres from the nearest coastline. Afghanistan, Chad, Niger, Zambia and Zimbabwe are all situated more than 2,000 kilometres from the sea.
Development challenges extend well beyond transport.
Approximately 40% of the urban population living in landlocked developing countries—around 100 million people—live in informal settlements, while rates of undernourishment are more than double the global average. Half of all landlocked developing countries are also classified as Least Developed Countries (LDCs), compounding existing economic and social challenges.
The United Nations says improving infrastructure, strengthening regional trade corridors and simplifying border procedures remain critical to unlocking economic growth and reducing poverty.
Digital trade, stronger regional partnerships and investment in resilient transport networks are also viewed as essential to improving competitiveness and connecting businesses to global markets.
In December 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries 2024–2034, providing a new global framework to accelerate sustainable development, strengthen resilience and improve economic integration over the coming decade.
The programme builds on earlier international agreements that have helped improve cross-border trade, expand transport infrastructure and streamline customs procedures, while recognising that many structural barriers continue to limit progress.
The International Day of Awareness serves as a reminder that geography should not determine opportunity and that stronger international cooperation remains essential to ensuring landlocked developing countries can participate fully in the global economy.
