Description
Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) face particular challenges related to their lack of direct territorial access to the sea, remoteness and isolation from world markets. Their dependence on transit neighbours for access to seaports imposes additional costs and reduces their competitiveness in international trade. There are 32 LLDCs across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. The Vienna Programme of Action addresses the special needs of LLDCs.
LLDCs at a Glance
Countries
32Population (2024)
530M7% of World GDP
Youth population 15-24 years
108M20% of LLDC Population
GDP Growth Rate
$2,4505% of World GDP
GDP
$2,45012% of World GDP
Investing in people
Education
Education completion rate (primary, lower secondary, upper secondary)
Literacy rate (youth)
72%LLDCs
86%World
Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education by sex
22% Female
30% Male
18%LLDCs
40%World
Health
Maternal mortality ratio
Under-5 mortality rate
Coverage of essential health services
52%LLDCs
80%World
Life expectancy at birth
69Female (yrs)
64Male (yrs)
LLDCs
67 yrs
World
73.3 yrs
0%50%100%
Labor market
Unemployment rate
Proportion of informal employment
78%LLDCs
60%World
Proportion of youth (aged 15–24 years) not in education, employment or training
28% Female
16% Male
22%LLDCs
15%World
Women empowerment
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and local governments
Proportion of women in managerial positions
Vulnerability and social protection
Population below international poverty line
Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity
Access to safely managed drinking water
Access to safely managed sanitation services
Structural transformation and science
GDP per employed person
Informal employment by sector
Service value added as a percentage of GDP
Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate
4.2%
Tourism GDP growth (2024)Total ODA to ICT and communications
Domestic credit to private sector as a proportion of GDP
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP
Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP
Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added
Proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of credit
24%LLDCs
45%World
Trade, trade facilitation and regional integration
LLDC share of world merchandise exports
Export value (USD)
1.2%
Share of world exports (2024)Export structure (%)
Manufactured exports as a share of total merchandise exports (%)
Services exports as a share of total exports (%)
Intra-regional exports as a share of total exports (%)
Average time to clear customs — imports (hours)
Average time to clear customs — exports (hours)
Trade Facilitation Agreement implementation (%)
Category A
62%
Category B
24%
Category C
14%
Transit, transport and connectivity
Port dwell time
Transit dwell time
Passenger and freight volumes
Passenger volume
Freight volume
Proportion of paved roads
LLDCs
22%
Africa
18%
Asia
35%
South America
28%
World
50%
Mobile network coverage by technology
5G
8%
4G
52%
3G
78%
2G
92%
ODA to infrastructure
International bandwidth
Proportion of individuals using the Internet
Kazakhstan92%
Mongolia84%
Armenia80%
Azerbaijan78%
Paraguay75%
Mobile data price as % of GNI per capita
8.5%LLDCs
2.3%World
Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption
Renewable energy capacity
Proportion of population with access to electricity
85M
Population without access to electricityProportion of population with access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking
210M
Population without access to clean fuelsClimate change and disasters
Deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters
Countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
21of 32
66% of LLDCs have adopted DRR strategies11 LLDCs still without national strategies
By region (adopted / total LLDCs in region)
Central Asia (9)
8 / 9
Africa (16)
7 / 16
South/SE Asia (5)
4 / 5
South America (2)
2 / 2
Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global GDP
Total official development assistance for biodiversity
Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area
35%LLDCs
23%World
Means of implementation
Government revenue as a percentage of GDP, by source
Proportion of domestic budget funded by domestic taxes
Total value of illicit financial flows
Foreign direct investment (FDI), net inflows
Kazakhstan42%
Uzbekistan34%
Ethiopia28%
Mongolia22%
Turkmenistan18%
Remittance costs as a proportion of the amount remitted
Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and services
8.4%
LLDCs average (2024)World average: 6.2%