ANATOMY

World’s Most Isolated Countries Compiled by Carlo Davis, Jared Feldschreiber, Sarah Lipkis
Designed by Meehyun Nam-Thompson

World Policy Journal ranks the top 10 most isolated countries based on a weighted series of criteria including
number of countries directly connected by plane, the percentage of individuals on the Internet, the number of
foreign visitors, the percentage of the total population that are immigrants, and imports per capita in dollars.

1. North Korea
Visitors to the Hermit Kingdom
are forbidden to bring publications
of any kind.
2. Somalia
In 2010, a Canadian tourist named
Mike arrived in Mogadishu,
baffling local officials.
3. Myanmar 4. maDagascar 5. burunDi SOURCES: AFP, BBC News, New
York Times, World Bank, UNJLC,
Myanmar is the only country to After a violent uprising in 2009 Landlocked and boasting a single
forgo a metric or imperial-based ousted the elected president, television station, Burundi is ranked CIA World Factbook, U.S. State
measurement system and invent foreign investment, tourism, and the world’s worst in enabling trade Department, The Economist
its own. trade to the island fell drastically. by the World Economic Forum.

Number of
countries directly
connected by plane
10% (2011)
of Score
(International Air
Transport Association
(IATA), Musings of
The Global Traveler)
Overall Score 185.5 Overall Score 181.55 Overall Score 177.8 Overall Score 174.15 Overall Score 173.9

3 6 8 8 4 Percentage of
0.00 1.25 0.98 1.90 1.11 individuals using
Internet (2011)
32,000 18,000 311,000 196,000 201,000 35%
of Score (International
0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.7 Telecommunications
Union)
144 132 124 177 63
International
tourist arrivals
(2010) and foreign
6. Democratic 7. Niger 8. Timor-Leste 9. guinea-bissau 10. papua new 10% military personnel
Republic of Eight percent of the population Electricity only reached district Economic isolation has helped guinea of Score
(World Tourism
the Congo are hereditary slaves despite this capitals in the 1980s, and 95 make this west African nation The two largest cities, less Organization,
practice being officially illegal. percent of the island’s population the primary shipping point for than 200 miles apart, are only
In a country five times the size of lives without power. cocaine en route to Europe. Yearbook of
California, less than 1 percent of connected by plane. Tourism Statistics,
roads are paved. Compendium of
Tourism Statistics)

Immigrants as
percentage of total
population (2009)
25%
of Score (United Nations
Overall Score 170.05 Overall Score 167.25 Overall Score 167.1 Overall Score 165.45 Overall Score 164.6 Department of
Economic and
13 9 3 7 7 Social Affairs)
1.20 1.30 0.90 2.67 2.00
Imports per capita
75,000 66,000 40,000 30,000 114,000
20% in dollars (2011)
0.7 1.3 1.2 1.2 0.4 of Score (World Bank, CIA
129 138 586 212 580
World Factbook)

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