Walls of division: Countries that have fenced their borders

Border barriers separate sovereign territories in various regions, serving purposes such as controlling migration, preventing terrorism, and managing disease spread.

Yet today, several formidable barriers divide nations across the globe, more than at any point in modern history.

From Africa's rugged frontiers to Asia's contested lines, these walls of concrete, steel, and sand rise not just as physical structures, but as stark symbols of fear, conflict, and control.

Kenya - Somalia

The ambitious plan to secure the 700-kilometre border with Somalia has so far resulted in a 10-kilometre stretch of wire and concrete fence.

Initiated in 2015 to block incursions from al-Shabab militants, the project cost an estimated USD30 million for its initial phase.

With the goal remaining to seal the frontier from Lamu County to the Ethiopian tri-point, the barrier remains a small but costly symbol of Kenya's ongoing security battle.

Botswana - Zimbabwe

A 500-kilometre electric fence marks the boundary between Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Erected by Botswana in 2003, its primary mission was to halt the spread of foot-and-mouth disease from Zimbabwean cattle.

Patrolled 24/7 by soldiers, the 2.4-metre-high fence delivers a powerful electric shock and serves a dual purpose: curbing animal disease and stemming the flow of human migration driven by economic instability.

Morocco - Western Sahara

Stretching for an immense 2,700 kilometres, the Moroccan Western Sahara Wall, or 'Berm', is one of the longest continuous barriers in the world.

Built in six stages between 1980 and 1987, this formidable structure of sand and stone separates Moroccan-controlled territory from zones held by the Polisario Front.

Fortified with 3-metre-high walls, bunkers, landmines, and advanced surveillance, it was designed to cut off Sahrawi independence movements from the region's resources.

South Africa - Zimbabwe & Mozambique

A 225-kilometre electrified fence runs along the Limpopo River, designed to stop illegal immigration and smuggling.

The barrier gained notoriety in 2020 when a new 40-kilometre section at Beitbridge, erected for R37 million to prevent the spread of coronavirus, was quickly proven ineffective and plagued by corruption scandals.

South Africa also shares a 120-kilometre fence with Mozambique in Kruger National Park.

South Africa built it in 1975 to halt illegal immigration.

The fence employs wire barriers along the park's eastern boundary.

Spain - Morocco

Europe’s southern frontier is guarded by heavily fortified fences at the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the Moroccan coast.

The 8.4-kilometre barrier at Ceuta and the 11-kilometre barrier at Melilla were upgraded in the mid-2000s to feature triple-layered, 6-metre-high fences topped with barbed wire and monitored by sensors and cameras.

The Melilla upgrade alone cost EUR33 million, showing Spain's determination to control smuggling and migration into the EU.

Morocco - Algeria

Morocco and Algeria have a 150-kilometre barrier.

Morocco built it in 2014 along their shared border to combat terrorism and smuggling.

Algeria constructed a reciprocal fence in 2013, creating a no-man's-land with wire and trenches.

Tunisia - Libya

In the wake of major terrorist attacks in 2015, Tunisia constructed a 200-kilometre barrier along part of its 500-kilometre frontier with an unstable Libya.

The defensive line, consisting of a trench and a sand wall (or berm), was built to stop the cross-border flow of militants from ISIS-affiliated groups and to curb the rampant smuggling of weapons and goods.

Turkey & the Middle East

Spurred by the Syrian Civil War and threats from ISIS, Turkey put up a massive 837-kilometre concrete wall in 2018 along its border with Syria.

The 3-metre-high modular wall is reinforced with watchtowers and patrol roads, creating a formidable barrier designed to stop the flow of refugees and prevent militants from crossing its southern border.

Israel - West Bank

Israel and the West Bank have a 708-kilometre barrier.

Construction on this 708-kilometre barrier began in 2002 during the Second Intifada.

Israel maintains it was built to prevent violent attacks, but its route is highly controversial as 85 per cent of it lies within the West Bank, annexing Israeli settlements and separating Palestinian communities from their land.

The structure is a mix of towering 9-metre concrete walls in urban areas and multi-layered fences with patrol roads and surveillance.

India - Pakistan

Along the fiercely contested 3,323-kilometre border with Pakistan, India has fenced over 2,064 kilometres, including large sections of the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.

This imposing barrier consists of double rows of fencing up to 4 metres high, wire, motion sensors, and thermal imaging to stop infiltration across some of the world's most difficult and militarized terrain.

US - Mexico

The 3,145-kilometre border is a patchwork of barriers covering over 1,100 kilometres.

Composed of steel bollard walls rising up to 9 metres, vehicle barriers, and older fencing, the system is backed by a vast network of sensors, cameras, and patrols.

A subject of intense political debate, its construction and maintenance have cost tens of billions of dollars.

Kuwait - Iraq

Following the 1990 Iraqi invasion, the United Nations mandated the creation of a 217-kilometre barrier to secure Kuwait's border.

Completed in 1993, this defensive line consists of a triple-layered fence, concertina wire, and a deep anti-vehicle trench, serving as a permanent deterrent against a future invasion.

Hungary - Serbia

At the height of the European migrant crisis in 2015, Hungary rapidly constructed a 175-kilometre, 4-metre-high double razor-wire fence along its border with Serbia.

Built for an estimated USD106 million, the barrier was a powerful symbol of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s hardline anti-immigration stance and a unilateral effort to seal a key entry point into the EU's Schengen Area.

India - Bangladesh

India is fencing most of its 4,096-kilometre border with Bangladesh to curb what it describes as illegal immigration, smuggling, and cross-border crime.

The project, which has covered over 3,200 kilometres, has been controversial, with critics citing human rights abuses and the disruption of life for communities living along the frontier.

Pakistan - Afghanistan

To formalize the historically porous 2,670-kilometre Durand Line, Pakistan has nearly completed a massive fencing project started in 2017.

The project has been a source of tension with Afghanistan, which does not officially recognize the Durand Line as the international border.

Middle East & the Balkan states

To insulate itself from the instability plaguing its northern neighbour, Saudi Arabia completed a multi-layered security barrier along its 811-kilometre border with Iraq in 2014.

In 2022, Poland completed a 187-kilometre, 5.5-metre-high steel wall on its border with Belarus at a cost of around EUR350 million.

The barrier was an emergency response to the 2021 migrant crisis, in which the EU accused Belarus of weaponising migration by luring thousands of people from the Middle East and Africa and pushing them to cross the border into Poland.

Israel and Egypt, Gaza & Lebanon

Israel and Egypt share a 245-kilometre fence completed in 2013. Israel uses steel wire to prevent immigration.

Since 1994, Israel has maintained a barrier around the Gaza Strip, which has evolved into one of the world's most advanced containment systems.

The barrier features a 6-metre-high surface fence, underground concrete walls with sensors to detect tunnels, a naval barrier, and remote-controlled weapons systems, enforcing a near-total blockade of the territory.

Israel and Lebanon have an 11-kilometre fence built in 2018.

Egypt and Gaza share a 3.1-kilometre concrete wall with an 11-kilometre underground barrier.

Egypt built the surface in 1979 and underground in 2009 as a safeguard against terrorism and immigration.

North & South Korea

Established in 1953, the 250-kilometre Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a misnomer for what is arguably the most heavily fortified border in the world.

This 4-kilometre-wide buffer is lined with towering fences, millions of landmines, and is guarded by hundreds of thousands of troops on both sides, representing the last frontier of the Cold War.