There are some countries you definitely don’t
want to be stuck in; nations that are controlled by insane dictators or regimes that commit
atrocities against their own people. However, some of these places are almost impossible to
escape. How would you sneak across a heavily armed border without being shot? Or reach safety
when you’re stuck in the most remote place on the planet? The sad truth is that escaping
from some countries isn’t even an option. Let’s find out which nations would be impossible,
or at least incredibly difficult to escape from. As we proceed through each of these
inescapable countries, you'll be shocked at what some governments will do to keep people
within their borders. In fact, as we continue on, you may be afraid to travel to certain nations
out of fear of being stuck there forever. The first country on our
list is not a surprising one. China is known for being authoritarian and if
the government does not want you to escape, they could do some pretty insane things
to keep you in the country indefinitely. The scary thing about trying to escape
China is that surveillance is omnipresent. The authoritarian government literally has
eyes everywhere and controls pretty much every aspect of their citizens' lives. China is
massive, and there are numerous ways to get out if you go through the proper channels, but if for
some reason you needed to escape China’s borders undetected, and the government wanted to keep you
from doing so, you would have an incredibly hard time making it out. You probably wouldn’t make
it out at all, at least not alive, here’s why. The moment you are put on the radar of President
Xi Jinping or any other high-ranking member of the Chinese government, you will immediately have
millions of soldiers and police officers after you. Granted, there are around 1.4 billion
people in China, but there are also around two million soldiers who could mobilize at a
moment's notice to hunt you down. To be fair, you’d have to do something pretty bad to
piss off the Chinese government that much. Then again, speaking out against the president
and his government might be enough to get you on their wanted list and for them to try
and keep you from fleeing the country. Once you are a wanted criminal of the state, you
will need to ditch any electronic devices you may have that connect to the internet. This is because
the Chinese government controls all internet traffic in the country and would be able to track
you easily. In order to escape, you would need to make a mad dash for the border. The problem is
that even if you made it out of the country, China wields so much power in the region that
if you were picked up just outside its borders, you would most likely be handed back over
to them. The government's absolute rule and control over the country would make China
extremely difficult to escape, if not impossible. China has no problem detaining its own
citizens and keeping them in the country. There are actually whole ethnic groups, such
as the Uyghurs and Kazakhs, that are denied permission to leave the country even if they
have a legitimate reason. So, just being from a specific region or of a specific ethnicity is
enough for China to keep you right where you are. Right next to china we have the aptly named
Hermit Kingdom. The reason North Korea gained its distinctive nickname is due to the
dangers of trying to escape its borders. North Korea may be one of the most
dangerous places to live and visit, but it is also the most deadly
place to try and escape from. Surprisingly, North Korea actually used to be
easier to escape from than it currently is. Although Kim Jong-il was a ruthless dictator,
he allowed people to slip through his fingers relatively often. However, that all changed when
his son Kim Jong-un took over. Since 2012 when Un took office, the number of defectors decreased
dramatically, and the reason why will disgust you. First of all, North Korea is not a good place to
live unless you are the Supreme Leader or someone high up in the government. Even then, there is
always a chance you will be falsely accused of trying to overthrow the government and be executed
for your troubles. But if you are just a normal citizen, life is hard, as most North Koreans live
on around 2 to 3 dollars a month. There is rarely enough food, and constant human rights violations
are being carried out. This means that many of the people living there want to escape the oppressive
dictatorship and the country as a whole. However, there are several problems
with trying to escape North Korea. First and foremost is the fact that there is
really only one border that leads to safety. To the west is China and to the north is
Russia. This means anyone trying to escape the brutal dictatorship of North Korea needs to
travel to South Korea for asylum. Unfortunately, this is one of the most heavily guarded borders
in the entire world, and the North Korean soldiers there are not afraid to unload their weapons
on anyone they spot trying to sneak across. The craziest part is that although there was
an Armistice Agreement in 1953 which brought about a cease-fire between North and South
Korea, no peace treaty was signed. Therefore, the two countries are still at war even to
this day. Obviously, this makes the border between the two nations a highly guarded
and dangerous place to try and cross. The border between North and South
Korea is around 160 miles long, which seems like it would allow for easy
crossing at some point, but that is not the case. There are around 2 million troops
deployed around the border at any given time, and when Kim Jong-un became supreme leader,
he made it clear that anyone who was seen trying to cross the border should be shot
on sight. One of the very first things the new Supreme Leader did when he gained control of
the country was enacting stricter border control policies and crack down on anyone who was even
suspected of aiding people across the border. It is practically impossible to go across the
North Korean border into South Korea without being shot and killed, which is why many defectors
instead try escaping through China. This is not a great alternative because China and North Korea
are allied with one another. According to some of the lucky few who have made it through China
and eventually to safety in South Korea, they recounted needing to bribe North Korean guards and
remain hidden the entire time. Before Kim Jong-un took power, a bribe was enough. Now, however,
even approaching the border could get you killed. Kim Jong-un even had a brand new electric barbed
wire fence installed along the China-North Korean border, making it next to impossible to sneak
across by land. This has led some people to try their luck by escaping across rivers where
there is a break in the fence. The problem is if Chinese soldiers spot them once they get
to the other side, they are immediately sent back to North Korea, where they will
likely be executed for trying to escape. Every year it gets harder and harder for
people to escape from the Hermit Kingdom. In fact, from 2019 to 2020, the number of
people who made it out of the country alive dropped by over 80%. At this point, it could
actually be impossible as every nation has upped its border security in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. This means that China will have heightened security along their border,
so the best way to escape North Korea may be by taking your chances at the South Korean border.
But due to the strict orders given to North Korean soldiers at the border, even if you make it
across, you will likely have several bullet wounds that will need to be dealt with if you
want to live to celebrate your newfound freedom. This next country restricts the
lives of its citizens so much that this nation has been called
the “North Korea of Africa.” Eritrea is a small country in East Africa.
The government claims to be a democracy, but it clearly isn’t, as President Isaias Afwerki
took power in 1991 without any form of election and has not relinquished his power since.
And just like Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping, Afweki likes to take advantage of his
citizens and repress their fundamental rights. For being such a small country, Eritrea has one
of the largest military forces on the continent. This is because it is mandatory for every Eritrea
citizen to enlist in the military when they come of age. It is not abnormal for someone to stay in
the military from the age of 18 until they are 55. This leads to a problem when trying to escape the
nation. Although Eritrea is often rated one of the worst places to live and basic freedoms don't
exist within its borders, having a large military of brainwashed people is one way to ensure that
there is always someone to do your bidding. But that’s not the craziest factor of Eritrea
that would keep you from escaping the country. In order to do pretty much anything
inside its borders, you need a permit. And if you are trying to escape, chances are you
are probably not going to get a permit to do so. Let’s put this in perspective. If you
would like to have a dinner party with guests from three or more families in
Eritrea, you need to obtain a permit. That’s right, to have a gathering of friends,
you need to get the government's permission. This probably gives you an idea of how strict
the laws are around leaving the country. To travel to the town next to where you are
staying in Eritrea also requires a permit. Imagine trying to escape from any town in
the country and make it across the border. If you were to do it using legal means, you
would need to apply for multiple permits just to get from where you are to the border.
Then if you wanted to cross the border, you would need even more permits and
special permission from the government. This would be the case if you were trying to exit
the country legally. But since you are trying to escape the oppressive government and its crazy
leader, you will need to fly under the radar. Unfortunately, there are military personnel
in practically every town and city who are constantly checking permits. If you don’t have
the document, you will be immediately arrested and taken in for questioning. More often than not,
this will end badly for you. You will either spend time in prison or disappear completely.
Your only chance of making it out of the country is by somehow hopping from town to town
without being spotted. As soon as you are seen, you will be asked for your travel permit, and at
that point, you would need to run for your life. More likely than not you would end up getting
shot long before you made it out of the country. President Isaias Afwerki and his government have
committed terrible crimes against their citizens. Some agencies even report that Eritrea is
a worse place to live than North Korea, which is saying a lot. This is enough to make
anyone want to escape the terrible conditions in the country. Unfortunately, since the
government controls everything from the press to the military and requires
permits for practically everything, your chances of escaping the
nation are practically zero. You probably have heard of this next country
before but likely couldn’t pinpoint it on a map. Due to its dictatorship disguised as a democracy, anyone who finds themselves in this nation will
realize it is practically impossible to escape. Turkmenistan is located north of Iran and
Afghanistan and just south of Uzbekistan and Kazakstan. To start off, if you
were trying to escape Turkmenistan, the neighboring countries are only slightly
less totalitarian than the country you are trying to leave. President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow is an authoritarian ruler who has been in power since 2006, and he has no
intention of giving up his power any time soon. This makes him a dangerous man, especially
to people who oppose his regime and try and leave his nation. It seems that the whole
national hierarchy from government officials to getting into college is based around bribes. The
problem with this system is that it's obviously corrupt. And for someone trying to escape
the country, there is a steep price to pay, especially if you don’t want
the person you’re bribing to take your money without handing you over
to the authorities for trying to escape. Since the government controls the internet, media,
and any other way that discontent might be voiced, there are very few ways to find like-minded
individuals who may help you escape the country. The craziest part is that the
government has actually made it the most difficult for men under
the age of 40 to leave the country. Maybe Berdimuhamedow and his government
deem this demographic a higher flight risk than other groups, but it seems odd
that this demographic is being targeted. The oppressive government has also recently put
a lockdown on people holding dual citizenship from leaving the country. This means that if you
find yourself in Turkmenistan and need a way out, you might have to go through back channels. What
makes escaping Turkmenistan so tricky is that if the government flags you for some reason, they
will track you down and detain you. Due to the authoritarian rule, the government doesn't need
a reason to arrest you, and a fair trial does not exist in the country. Once you are on their radar,
escaping Turkmenistan is next to impossible, as finding a way to cross the border safely
will likely cause you to rely on bribes. And you never know who has already been bribed
by the government to turn escapes like you in. Another country that makes it impossible
for certain demographics of people to leave their borders is Saudi Arabia. If you are
of a certain gender, escaping this brutal religious dictatorship that adheres to
strict, outdated laws will be a nightmare. Being a female in Saudi Arabia can
be a pretty rough time, and that's an understatement. Women have had their basic rights
stripped away for decades. You may not believe it, but almost all establishments are still
segregated by gender throughout the country. Traveling as a woman can be almost impossible.
If you are a woman trying to escape Saudi Arabia, you will need a male to help you; otherwise,
you'd have zero chance of success. Everything from trying to drive a car to purchasing
a plane ticket must be done by men. In Saudi Arabia, it is rare that women are allowed
to go out on their own without being accompanied by a male relative. This can make trying to escape
from the country incredibly difficult for women. The government is based around Sharia law, and
anyone who disagrees with the way things are being run is qucikly silenced by King Salman and
his government. They control everything from the media to who is allowed in and out of the country.
Trying to escape would likely require slipping across one of the borders undetected. The problem
is that the countries which border Saudi Arabia are either allied with them or afraid of their
military as it is the strongest in the region. Regardless of if you are male or female,
trying to escape to a neighboring country could end up with you getting captured and
sent back. The vastness of Saudi Arabia also makes escaping incredibly difficult. If you
found yourself in the middle of the nation, trying to make it to a border without getting
killed is nearly impossible. The more remote towns in the country can be less than thrilled
to have unknown visitors in their community, and there are vast stretches of land where there
is nothing but desert. If you were trying to drive through one of these areas and got stuck, it would
pretty much seal your fate, and you’d either be captured or die from dehydration. Either way,
you probably aren’t escaping the country alive. If you thought the authoritarian dictatorship in
North Korea, China, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, and Saudi Arabia were bad, they are nothing compared
to the insane leader of this next country. Belarus sits east of Poland and, like
all of the countries that surround it, was once part of the Soviet Union. However, when
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka seized power, things went from bad to worse in the country. This led to many people wanting to flee the
nation, which was easier said than done. Lukashenka typically focuses his authoritarian
attention on the press and media that try to bad-mouth him. He even proudly proclaimed
that he is “the last dictator in Europe.” So, it is clear he’s not trying to hide
the terrible stuff he is doing. And like any dictator, he wants to control all
aspects of people's lives within his borders. This includes determining who can come in and
go out of the country. The government has also begun closely monitoring the internet traffic in
Belarus and has blocked social media websites, so reaching out for help from outside
sources can be next to impossible. Also, if someone within Belarus is found to be
planning their escape or trying to voice political dissent, it is common for Lukashenka to send
his lackeys to harass, threaten, or kill them. This is terrible as there is no way to change the
political system in the country without civil war, and there is no way out unless you receive special
permission or sneak across the border. However, like any paranoid dictator, Lukashenka
keeps the borders patrolled at all times and uses the military to restrict
access into and out of the country. In 2020 Belarus’ presidential election
was disputed by many in the country as they were sure that Lukashenka had
rigged the results in his favor. This led to protests that were met with violent
force. This is just one example that anyone trying to change the country or even leave it
without the government's permission will face terrible consequences. Once you are trapped in
Belarus, there is practically no way to freedom. The next couple of locations aren’t impossible
to escape because they have power-hungry dictators who control the military and the
borders, but because there is nowhere to go. Tuvalu is a 10 square mile island nation in the
middle of the Pacific Ocean. It sits about halfway between Australia and Hawaii in the largest ocean
on the planet. Although it is one of the smallest nations in the world, it’s much more remote than
most, making it very difficult to hide on and escape if you needed to get out of the country.
There are around 11,000 people on the islands, so finding someone willing to help you escape
might be possible. However, getting away from this country is much harder than practically
anywhere else due to its isolated location. The closest nation to Tuvalu is Fiji
which is 1,178 miles away. Therefore, escaping by plane or boat are the only
options. If you were to go by boat, you would need to find someone to take you
as the journey to the next closest country would require a multi-crew vessel. Considering
that there aren’t many people on the island, and even fewer ports to leave from,
it means that you would likely be apprehended by the authorities long before
you made it out of the country and to safety. The quickest way to escape the island
nation would be by airplane. Fiji Air and Air Kiribati fly to the
remote nation twice a week, but flying probably isn't the best option if
you are trying to escape the country. It would be difficult to buy a ticket and nearly impossible
to get past security if they were looking for you. Even if you could somehow manage to sneak into the
only airport in the country unnoticed, you might be disappointed to find that your escape flight
never shows up. Air Kiribati comes from Tarawa, a small island in the nation of Kiribati, which is
not much bigger than Tuvalu itself. Unfortunately, this flight is unreliable for many reasons and
can be canceled without notice because of weather, access to fuel, and lack of passengers.
The unreliability of escape options, remote location, and small size makes
getting out of Tuvalu practically impossible. Tristan da Cunha is the most remote inhabited
island in the entire world and is located in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Technically this
island is a British Territory but it is not only super far from England but from every other
piece of land as well. There are around 260 people who live on the island, and only nine different
last names exist between all of the inhabitants. Clearly, this is a tight-knit community
of individuals who likely all have family routes dating back to Tristan da Cunha's first
colonists. This makes the island probably the most difficult place on the planet to escape from.
It’s not because they have a large military or a lot of police; it is the fact that everyone
knows everyone else. If you got into trouble for some reason and needed to escape Tristan
da Cunha, you would need to get out of town fast because word would spread like wildfire,
and everyone would be on the lookout for you. The island itself is only 79.92 square
miles and is mostly volcanic rock, so there really aren't many places to hide.
And what makes trying to escape the island even more difficult is that there is no
airport and the only way off is by boat. The closest land is South Africa which is
over 1,700 miles away, making it much too far to swim or for a tiny boat to make the
journey. The waves in the Southern Atlantic would easily capsize or completely destroy any
smaller vessel trying to escape the island. This means that your only viable option
for making it off the island would be to take one of the three ships that sail
to Tristan da Cunha. Unfortunately, they only go back and forth between the island
and the mainland nine times a year. Unless you time your escape for exactly when one of these
ships is about to depart, you could be waiting over a month for your next chance to get off
the island. Due to the topography and small population of Tristan da Cunha you would likely
be captured long before the next ship arrived. However, you can definitely bet that even if
you made it on the ship, the authorities would search it fully before allowing the vessel to
leave. It would be literally impossible to find your way off of this island if the citizens of
this small territory did not want you to escape. Sometimes we take things for granted. Although
there are probably very few people who would want to try and escape the United States compared
to some of the other countries in this video, if the U.S. government didn’t want you to leave, it would be next to impossible to get
out of the country and remain safe. The biggest issue with escaping the United
States is that the infrastructure, military, and law enforcement are all well funded. Once
you are identified as a person of interest, the CIA and other government agencies
would immediately locate and detain you. With the advancement of facial recognition
software and the ability for law enforcement agencies to instantly share information, you
would likely be tracked down wherever you went. That being said, if you could make it to the
Canadian border, you could theoretically find an unguarded location along the 5,500 mile
stretch of unprotected border to cross. But this is where you would run into all sorts
of difficulties no matter where you went after leaving the country. The United States has a far
reach. Whether it is using forces that are already deployed around the globe or back channels
and spies to locate you, you will be found. The most difficult part about escaping the
United States is that once you left its borders, it would be difficult finding a place that
wouldn’t immediately send you back to the U.S. if they found you. If you were located in either
of the neighboring countries of Mexico or Canada, you would be extradited back to the United States.
Hypothetically, if you get to a country that is not closely allied with the U.S., like Russia,
North Korea, or China, you may have a chance of remaining safe. These countries likely wouldn’t
turn you over to the U.S., but then again, you’d now be stuck in an oppressive
country with very few civil rights. And even if you were someplace
that wouldn’t turn you over; the U.S. has other means of dealing with you.
Perhaps a black-ops team would be sent in to extract you and bring you back to the United
States. Or maybe a more permanent solution would be implemented. If you actually
could find a way to escape the U.S., there could be a drone missile with your name on
it in your future, no matter where you went. So, even though most people probably don’t want
to escape the borders of the United States, if you ever did need to, it would be impossible
to remain hidden from the superpower for long. Now watch “Escaping a North Korean
Internment Camp (Only Person Ever).” Or check out “Death Row Inmates
Escape Before Execution.”
