Geography
Why Landlocked Countries Face Unique Trade and Transport Challenges
Quick fact
There are 44 landlocked countries. Only two—Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan—are bordered exclusively by other landlocked countries, which means they must deal with at least two transit countries just to reach a seaport.
Why this is interesting
You’ve probably seen a country with no coastline on a map—but have you ever wondered how its people get goods from overseas? Without a port of their own, every import and export depends on crossing someone else's border.
Read the full explanation
Understanding Why Landlocked Countries Face Unique Trade and Transport Challenges
Most world trade moves by ship, so countries without coastlines are at an inherent disadvantage. Imagine living in an apartment building that has no direct exit to the street: to leave, you must walk through a neighbor's unit, and they control the door. For landlocked countries, that neighbor is a coastal transit country. Goods from overseas must be unloaded at a foreign port, transferred to trucks or trains, and then driven across one or more international borders. Each step adds layers of handling, paperwork, customs inspections, and fees. The farther the goods travel overland, the more expensive they become. This is why a simple shipment of coffee or machinery can cost far more to reach a landlocked country than a coastal one.
A deeper explanation
The core mechanism is dependence: landlocked countries have no sovereign access to maritime trade routes, so their ability to trade depends on neighboring states' infrastructure, policies, and goodwill. This creates several compounding effects. First, transport costs rise because goods must travel longer distances and switch between modes—from ship to rail or truck—with each transfer adding handling costs and risk of damage or delay. Second, border crossings become bottlenecks: customs procedures, differing regulations, and inspections can hold cargo for days or weeks, increasing time and cost. Third, political vulnerability appears because a coastal neighbor can impose transit fees, restrict certain goods, or close a border during a diplomatic crisis, effectively cutting off the landlocked country's access to world markets. International law, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), recognizes the right of landlocked states to access the sea, but in practice this right depends on bilateral negotiations. The result is that landlocked countries often seek regional trade agreements, invest heavily in relations with transit neighbors, and prioritize transport corridors—all in an effort to overcome the friction of geography.