A border barrier, border fence or border wall is a separation barrier that runs along or near an international border. Such barriers are typically constructed for border control purposes such as curbing illegal immigration, human trafficking, and smuggling. [1] [2] Some such barriers are constructed for defence or security reasons. In cases of a disputed or unclear border, erecting a barrier can serve as a de facto unilateral consolidation of a territorial claim that can supersede formal delimitation. A border barrier does not usually indicate the location of the actual border, and is usually constructed unilaterally by a country, without the agreement or cooperation of the other country.
Examples of border walls include the ancient Great Wall of China, a series of walls separating China from nomadic empires to the north. The construction of border barriers increased in the early 2000s; half of all the border barriers built since World War II, which ended in 1945, were built after 2000. [3]
Note: The table can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the
icon.
| Name | Countries affected | Built and maintained by | Date built | Length (km) | Deaths during crossing attempts | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina–Paraguay | Argentina and Paraguay | Argentina | 2014 | 1.3 | [4] [5] [6] | |
| Austrian border barrier | Austria, Italy, and Slovenia | Austria | 2015 | 3.7 | [7] | |
| Morocco- Algeria | Morocco and Algeria | Morocco | 2014 | 150 km | [8] [9] | |
| Algeria- Morocco | Algeria and Morocco | Algeria | 2013 | 150 km | [10] [11] | |
| Belize–Guatemala | Belize and Guatemala | Belize | Proposed, agreed | N/A | ||
| Botswana–Zimbabwe | Botswana and Zimbabwe | Botswana | 2003 | 500 | 8 | [12] |
| Brunei–Malaysia | Brunei and the city of Limbang, Malaysia | Brunei | 2005 | 20 | ||
| Bulgaria–Turkey barrier | Bulgaria and Turkey | Bulgaria | 2014 | 30 | [13] | |
| Calais border barrier | United Kingdom and France | United Kingdom and France | 2016 | 1 | [14] | |
| Ceuta border fence | Spain and Morocco | Spain | 2001 | 8 | 13–18 depending on estimates. [15] | |
| Costa Rica–Nicaragua | Costa Rica and Nicaragua | Costa Rica | Proposed | N/A | ||
| Green Line (Cyprus) | Cyprus and Northern Cyprus | Cyprus and the United Nations | 1964 | 180 | ||
| Chinese–Korean border fence | China and North Korea | China | 2011 | 1,416 | [16] | |
| Chile–Bolivia ditch | Chile and Bolivia | Chile | 2022 (Under construction) | N/A | [17] | |
| China-Vietnam/Myanmar border wall | China, Vietnam and Myanmar | China | 2021 | 3,468 | [18] [19] [20] | |
| Denmark–Germany border fence | Denmark and Germany | Denmark | 2019 | 70 | [21] [22] [23] | |
| Dominican–Haiti border fence | Dominican Republic and Haiti | Dominican Republic | Partially completed | N/A | [24] [25] | |
| Egypt–Gaza barrier | Egypt and Gaza Strip | Egypt | 1979, low concrete wall (2.5–3m tall) with barbed wire as part of initial security measures; 2009 Underground steel barrier (10–11 km long, 18m deep) to block smuggling tunnels. | 3.1 | [26] [27] | |
| Estonia–Russia barrier | Estonia and Russia | Estonia | 2018 | 110 | [28] | |
| Finland–Russia border barrier | Finland and Russia | Finland | 2023 | 200 | [29] [30] | |
| Greece–Turkey border | Greece and Turkey | Greece | 2012, expanded 2021 [31] [32] | 200 | [33] [34] [35] [36] | |
| North Macedonia–Greece barrier | North Macedonia and Greece | North Macedonia | 2015 | 30 | [37] [38] [39] | |
| Malaysia–Thailand border | Thailand and Malaysia | Thailand | 70's, 2001 | 650 | [40] [41] | |
| Melilla border fence | Spain and Morocco | Spain | 1998 | 11 | ||
| Myanmar -Bangladesh border fence | Myanmar and Bangladesh | Myanmar | 2017 | 271 | [42] [43] | |
| Hungary–Serbia barrier | Hungary and Serbia | Hungary | 2015 | 175 | [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] | |
| Hungary–Croatia barrier | Hungary and Croatia | Hungary | 2015 | 41 | ||
| India–Bangladesh barrier | India and Bangladesh | India | Under construction | 3,268 | ||
| India–Myanmar barrier | India and Myanmar | India | Under construction | 1,624 | ||
| India-Nepal barrier | India and Nepal | India | Under construction | ? | ||
| India–Pakistan barrier | India and Pakistan | India | 2004 | 550 | [49] | |
| Iran–Pakistan barrier | Iran and Pakistan | Pakistan [50] and Iran | Under construction | 959 | [51] [52] [53] | |
| Iran–Afghanistan barrier | Iran and Afghanistan | Iran | 1992, 2024(Under construction) | 30 km built in 1992, 300 km planned to be built, 100 km built so far in 2025 | [54] [55] [56] | |
| Jordan - Syria | Jordan and Syria | Jordan | 2015 | 100 km barriers and deep trenches | [57] [58] [59] | |
| Israel-West Bank barrier | Israel and Palestine | Israel | Partially Completed | 708 | [60] | |
| Israel-Egypt barrier | Israel and Egypt | Israel | 2013 | 245 | ||
| Israel-Lebanon barrier | Israel and Lebanon | Israel | 2018 | 11 | ||
| Israel-Gaza barrier | Israel and Gaza Strip | Israel | 1994 | N/A | ||
| Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan barrier | Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan | Kazakhstan | 2006 | 45 | [61] | |
| Kenya - Somalia barrier | Kenya and Somalia | Kenya | 2015 (Under construction) | planned 700 km, done only 10–13 km of fence with barbed wire | [62] [63] [64] | |
| Korean Demilitarized Zone | North Korea and South Korea | North Korea and United Nations Command | 1953 | 248 | ||
| Kruger National Park | South Africa and Mozambique | South Africa | 1975 | 120 | 89 (Army), over 200 (Various churches) | |
| South Africa–Zimbabwe Border | South Africa and Zimbabwe | South Africa | 2000s | 225 | [65] [66] [67] [68] | |
| Kuwait–Iraq barrier | Kuwait and Iraq | Kuwait | 1991 | 193 | ||
| Latvia–Russia border fence | Latvia and Russia | Latvia | 2015 | 90 | [69] | |
| Libya–Tunisia barrier | Libya and Tunisia | Tunisia | 2015 | 200 km barrier - moat and sand wall (out of 500 km of border) | [70] [71] | |
| Lithuania-Belarus barrier | Lithuania and Belarus | Lithuania | 2021 [72] | 502 | [73] [74] | |
| Lithuania–Russia border fence | Lithuania and Russia | Lithuania | 2017 | 130 | [75] | |
| [76] [77] | ||||||
| Norway–Russia border barrier | Norway and Russia | Norway | 2016 | 0,2 | [78] | |
| Oman–Yemen | Oman and Yemen | Oman | 2013 | 288 | [79] [80] | |
| Pakistan–Afghanistan barrier | Pakistan and Afghanistan | Pakistan | 2017 started | 2,670 | [81] [82] [83] | |
| Poland–Belarus barrier | Poland and Belarus | Poland | 2022 [84] | 186 | 21 [85] | [86] [87] [88] [89] [90] |
| Saudi–Yemen barrier | Saudi Arabia and Yemen | Saudi Arabia | 2004 | 75 | ||
| Saudi–Iraq barrier | Saudi Arabia and Iraq | Saudi Arabia | 2014 | 900 | [91] [92] [93] | |
| Slovenia–Croatia barrier | Slovenia and Croatia | Slovenia | 2016 | 220 | [94] [95] [96] | |
| Serbia–North Macedonia barrier | Serbia and North Macedonia | Serbia | 2020 | 240 | [97] | |
| Turkey–Syria border barrier | Turkey and Syria | Turkey | 2018 | 764 km finished, planned 911 km, 2 m wide, 3 m high concrete structure | [98] [99] | |
| Turkey–Iran border barrier | Turkey and Iran | Turkey | Start of construction in 2017 | Planned 295 km, finished as of 2025 170 km | [100] [101] [102] | |
| Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan barrier | Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan | Turkmenistan | 2001 | 1,700 | [103] [104] [105] | |
| Ukraine Russia/Belorussia barrier | Ukraine, Russia and Belarus | Ukraine | Started 2015 - on halt 2022 with Russian invasion | 2,000 | [106] [107] [108] | |
| United Arab Emirates–Oman barrier | United Arab Emirates and Oman | United Arab Emirates | 2018 | 410 | ||
| Mexico–United States barrier | United States and Mexico | United States | Partially Constructed as of 2025, to be completed by 2029. [109] | 1,000 | [110] [111] [112] [113] [114] [115] [116] [117] [118] [119] | |
| Uzbek–Afghanistan barrier | Uzbekistan and Afghanistan | Uzbekistan | 2001 | 209 | [120] [121] [122] [123] | |
| Uzbek–Kyrgyzstan barrier | Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan | Uzbekistan | 1999 | 870 | [124] | |
| Hong Kong-China barrier and Forts | Hong Kong and mainland China | United Kingdom and Hong Kong | 1950s, 1962 updated, | 33 km | [125] [126] | |
| (Gibraltar) United Kingdom-Spain barrier | (Gibraltar) United Kingdom and Spain | United Kingdom and Gibraltar | 1909 | 1.24 | [127] [128] [129] | |
| Ethiopia–Eritrea barrier | Ethiopia and Eritrea | Ethiopia and Eritrea | 1990s–2000s | ? |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Washington (Reuters) – Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday his country was doing all it could in the U.S.-led war against terrorism and offered to fence and mine its border with Afghanistan to stem Taliban infiltration. "I have been telling Karzai and the United States, 'Let us fence the border and let us mine it.' Today I say it again. Let us mine their entire border. Let us fence it. It's not difficult", Musharraf said, referring to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Now the other thing that I've said: if he thinks everyone is crossing from here, I've been saying let us fence the border and let us also mine the border. We are experts at mining, they should mine the border on their side. We will fence it on our side. If that is all right I am for it, so that they are not allowed to go across at all. And then let us see what is happening in Afghanistan. Why don't they agree to this, I've said this openly many times before, they don't do it, for whatever are their reasons. I know how effective the fence, the Indian fence which is about 1,800 kilometres, and they are fencing the Kashmir mountains also, it is so difficult. Why are they doing that, are they mad, they are spending billions of rupees. Because it is effective. Let's fence this border so that this blame game is killed once for ever.
61 percent think that current border security is inadequate, and ... 54 percent support a physical barrier
Most Americans ... oppose building a border wall, but seven in 10 Republicans support it.
59 percent of Americans oppose building a wall... A large majority of Republicans support the wall – 79 percent. A majority of independents – 66 percent – oppose the wall, and 84 percent of Democrats are also against it.
Given the choice between "open borders" ... and a "secure border," 79 percent of Americans agreed that the U.S. needs "secure borders." ... In a different poll, 58 percent of Americans support "building a combination of physical and electronic barriers across the U.S.-Mexico border."