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. 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.
List of current barriers
Note: The table can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon. NameCountries affectedBuilt and maintained byDate builtLength (km)Deaths during crossing attempts References Argentina–Paraguay Argentina and Paraguay Argentina 2014 1.3 Austrian border barrier Austria, Italy, and Slovenia Austria 2015 3.7 Morocco- Algeria Morocco and Algeria Morocco 2014 150 km Algeria- Morocco Algeria and Morocco Algeria 2013 150 km Belize–Guatemala Belize and Guatemala Belize Proposed, agreed N/A Botswana–Zimbabwe Botswana and Zimbabwe Botswana 2003 500 8 Brunei–Malaysia Brunei and the city of Limbang, Malaysia Brunei 2005 20 Bulgaria–Turkey barrier Bulgaria and Turkey Bulgaria 2014 30 Caroline Mortimer. Bulgaria builds final part of razor wire fence to keep out refugees. The Independent. 4 August 2015. Calais border barrier United Kingdom and France United Kingdom and France 2016 1 Ceuta border fence Spain and Morocco Spain 2001 8 13–18 depending on estimates. 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 Chile–Bolivia ditchChile and BoliviaChile2022 (Under construction)N/AChina-Vietnam/Myanmar border wallChina, Vietnam and MyanmarChina20213,468 Denmark–Germany border fence Denmark and Germany Denmark 2019 70 Dominican–Haiti border fence Dominican Republic and Haiti Dominican Republic Partially completed N/A 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 Estonia–Russia barrier Estonia and Russia Estonia 2018 110 Estonia 'plans Russia border fence' amid Ukraine tensions. BBC News. 28 August 2015 Finland–Russia border barrier Finland and Russia Finland 2023 200 Greece–Turkey border Greece and Turkey Greece 2012, expanded 2021 200 Danae Leivada. Why Greece Shut The Shortest, Safest Route For Migrants And Refugees. The Huffington Post. Published on 09/24/2015. North Macedonia–Greece barrier North Macedonia and Greece North Macedonia 2015 30 Yannis Behrakis. Police, migrants clash on Macedonia border; soldiers build fence . Reuters. November 28, 2015. Malaysia–Thailand border Thailand and Malaysia Thailand 70's, 2001 650 Melilla border fence Spain and Morocco Spain 1998 11 Myanmar -Bangladesh border fence Myanmar and Bangladesh Myanmar 2017 271 Hungary–Serbia barrier Hungary and Serbia Hungary 2015 175 Hungary's PM plans 'more massive' fence to keep out migrants. theguardian.com. 26 August 2016. 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 Iran–Pakistan barrier Iran and Pakistan Pakistan and Iran Under construction 959 Iran–Afghanistan barrierIran and AfghanistanIran1992, 2024(Under construction)30 km built in 1992, 300 km planned to be built, 100 km built so far in 2025Jordan - Syria Jordan and Syria Jordan 2015 100 km barriers and deep trenchesIsrael-West Bank barrierIsrael and PalestineIsraelPartially Completed708Israel-Egypt barrierIsrael and EgyptIsrael2013245Israel-Lebanon barrierIsrael and LebanonIsrael201811Israel-Gaza barrierIsrael and Gaza StripIsrael1994N/A Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan barrier Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Kazakhstan 2006 45 Kenya - Somalia barrierKenya and SomaliaKenya2015 (Under construction)planned 700 km, done only 10–13 km of fence with barbed wire 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 Kuwait–Iraq barrier Kuwait and Iraq Kuwait 1991 193 Latvia–Russia border fenceLatvia and Russia Latvia 2015 90 Jeremy Bender. A nation bordering Russia is building a fence along a third of its border. Business Insider. Published on December 16, 2015.Libya–Tunisia barrierLibya and Tunisia Tunisia 2015 200 km barrier - moat and sand wall (out of 500 km of border) Lithuania-Belarus barrier Lithuania and Belarus Lithuania 2021 502 Lithuania–Russia border fenceLithuania and Russia Lithuania 2017 130 Lithuania builds Russian border fence as Nato boosts Baltic defences. The Irish Times. January 18, 2017. Norway–Russia border barrier Norway and Russia Norway 2016 0,2 Oman–Yemen Oman and Yemen Oman 2013 288 Pakistan–Afghanistan barrier Pakistan and Afghanistan Pakistan 2017 started 2,670 Poland–Belarus barrier Poland and Belarus Poland 2022 186 21 Saudi–Yemen barrier Saudi Arabia and Yemen Saudi Arabia 2004 75 Saudi–Iraq barrier Saudi Arabia and Iraq Saudi Arabia 2014 900 Slovenia–Croatia barrier Slovenia and Croatia Slovenia 2016 220 Serbia–North Macedonia barrier Serbia and North Macedonia Serbia 2020 240 Turkey–Syria border barrier Turkey and Syria Turkey 2018 764 km finished, planned 911 km, 2 m wide, 3 m high concrete structure Turkey–Iran border barrier Turkey and Iran Turkey Start of construction in 2017 Planned 295 km, finished as of 2025 170 km Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan barrier Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan Turkmenistan 2001 1,700 Ukraine Russia/Belorussia barrier Ukraine, Russia and Belarus Ukraine Started 2015 - on halt 2022 with Russian invasion 2,000 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. 1,749 Uzbek–Afghanistan barrier Uzbekistan and Afghanistan Uzbekistan 2001 209 Uzbek–Kyrgyzstan barrier Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan 1999 870 Hong Kong-China barrier and FortsHong Kong and mainland ChinaUnited Kingdom and Hong Kong 1950s, 1962 updated, 33 km (Gibraltar) United Kingdom-Spain barrier(Gibraltar) United Kingdom and SpainUnited Kingdom and Gibraltar 1909 1.24 Ethiopia–Eritrea barrierEthiopia and Eritrea Ethiopia and Eritrea 1990s–2000s ?
Border barriers in history
Antiquity Antonine Wall (began in AD 142 by the Roman province in Britain) Anastasian Wall (built from AD 469, west of Constantinople) Great Wall of China (parts were built as early as the 7th century BC by the Qi dynasty in China) Great Wall of Gorgan (built in 5th or 6th century AD) Hadrian's Wall (begun in AD 122) Madukkarai Wall (may have been built as early as the 1st century AD in India) Southern Great Wall, southern counterpart wall to the Great Wall, erected to protect and divide the Chinese from the "southern barbarians" called Miao (meaning barbaric and nomadic)
Middle Ages Cheolli Jangseong The fortifications, castles and border walls between the Emirate of Granada and the Crown of Castile, later Spain between 1238 and 2 January 1492 although it continued as the internal border of the Crown of Castile, then Spain as Kingdom of Granada from 2 January 1492 to 29 September 1833. A large part of the fortifications, castles and walls is currently in good condition. Asilah: The King Alfonso V of Portugal built walls on the outskirts of the city of Asilah, serving as a border between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Marinid dynasty (1471–1472), the Saadi Sultanate (1472–1550), the Wattasid dynasty (1577–1589), in the area of the sea there are still cannons next to a Portuguese square tower. Currently the Wall is in good condition. Macau: Ming dynasty (currently China) built a wall around Macau in 1570.
Early modern period Great Hedge of India, built by the British in 1803 The border forts between the Captaincy General of Chile later Chile and the Mapuche territory that served as the border between the two from 1598 to 1883, which was delimited mainly by the Biobío river, the route passed through the Province of Biobío, Region of Biobío and the Region of Araucanía. Zanja de Alsina, built in the 1870s along the southern frontier of Argentina The points, forts and border barriers that functioned between the French Conchinchina and the Nguyễn dynasty that functioned between 1862 and 1887.
Defunct barriers in modern times The posts and barriers between Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory and Qing dynasty later China between 1898 and 1914 and later served as the border between the Empire of Japan and the China, that worked between November 7, 1914, and December 10, 1922, and reoccupied in the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 and 1945. The posts and border barriers between Leased Territory of Guangzhouwan and Qing dynasty later China that worked between 1898 and 1945. The Czechoslovak border fortifications and fortified defensive lines built between 1935 and 1938 as a defensive countermeasure against the rising threat of Nazi Germany. The Maginot Line, built between 1929 and 1938 by France on the French–German border as a defensive structure. The border posts and barriers between the (Empire of Japan) through the (Karafuto Prefecture) and the (Russian Empire after Russian SSR after USSR) through the Sakhalin Oblast that operated between 5 September 1907 and 25 August 1945. The border posts, forts and walls between the Russian Dalian (Russian Empire) and the Qing dynasty between 27 March 1898 – 5 September 1905 and between the Kwantung Leased Territory (Empire of Japan) and the (Qing dynasty 5 September 1905 – 10 October 1911 and the Republic of China 10 October 1911 – 1932), later Manchukuo (1932 – 14 August 1945) later by the USSR as the Soviet occupation of Manchuria between August 14, 1945, and May 3, 1946, when it was returned to the Republic of China. The posts, forts and border barriers that operated between the British Burma (1824–1858, 1947–1948) later British Raj through the province of British Burma and French Indochina, Kingdom of Siam and Qing dynasty later China). The frontier posts, forts and barriers that operated between the colony and overseas territory of the French India and (Mughal Empire after Maratha Empire after Company Rule in India after British Raj after India) which operated between 1664 and 1 November 1954. The posts, forts and border barriers between Finland and the former Soviet Union, in the Hanko peninsula (1940–1941) and in the Porkkala peninsula (1945–1956). The frontier posts, forts and barriers that operated between the colony and overseas province of the Portuguese India and (Mughal Empire after Bijapur Sultanate after Maratha Empire after Company Rule in India after British Raj after India) which functioned between 15 August 1505 and 19 December 1961.