On the 6th of August 2025, we’ll celebrate (for the very first time) the “International Day of Awareness of the Special Development Needs and Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries”.

This is quite a mouthful, but let’s look at it in an easier, understandable way. Let’s break this day down into “bite-sized” pieces.

For the first time, this day has been recognized by the United Nations, and for this year, the theme is “When geography hinders growth”.

So, imagine living in a country where the nearest beach is… in another country! This may sound unimaginable for most of us; nevertheless, it is the reality for 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) scattered across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. These countries have no direct access to the ocean, which brings about a big disadvantage for their economy and development.

It is important to note that in this article, we are identifying the landlocked developing countries, and not other landlocked countries, such as Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, etc.

Map of landlocked developing countries*

According to the United Nations, these 32 LLDCs house more than 600 million people! Additionally, these countries struggle with major development challenges stemming from their lack of direct sea access, geographic remoteness, and trade expenses that run about 30% higher than those of coastal states.

Now, how does this day and this information concern us, in terms of tree planting and environmental awareness?

Many LLDCs face severe land degradation, deforestation, water stress, and desertification (especially in dryland regions), making agriculture and food security fragile. Tree‑planting helps restore degraded soils, reduce erosion, and slow the spread of deserts. When the tree-planting is well‑planned, it also increases carbon storage and resilience to extreme weather. By integrating such green and climate‑smart solutions into development strategies, LLDCs can strengthen rural livelihoods, enhance ecosystem health, and move toward sustainable growth; precisely the aims the International Day seeks to support!

Children in the Central African Republic**

Have a look at our global tree-planting map, and see if you can identify any trees planted in some of the landlocked developing countries.

Are you currently living in one of these countries, and have you planted any trees recently? If yes, please, tell us about it! Fill out this report a tree form on our website, and remember to share your pictures. We would love to do a success story about your tree-planting activity and share it with our global community!

Some interesting facts concerning LLDCs, as shared by the UN website:
– The LLDCs are globally located: 16 in Africa, 10 in Asia, 4 in Europe, and only 2 in Latin America.

– The smallest LLDC is Bhutan (with less than one million people), and the largest is Ethiopia (with 135 million people).

– The average distance of LLDCs to the nearest seaport is 1,370 km. The country farthest away from the sea, is Kazakhstan (3750 km), followed by Afghanistan, Chad, Niger, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

– The harshness of the challenges faced by these LLDCs is even further enhanced, seeing that 16 of the 32 LLDCs are Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

– Roughly 40% of the urban population in the LLDCs lives in slums , which equals to around 100 million people.

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References:
*Source of map: https://unctad.org/topic/landlocked-developing-countries/map-of-LLDCs
**Image source: https://www.unocha.org/central-african-republic
https://www.un.org/ohrlls/
https://www.un.org/ohrlls/events/strengthening-climate-action-lldcs-experiences-adaptation-and-mitigation
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/13/seven-times-size-of-manhattan-the-african-tree-planting-project-making-a-difference