There are 19 countries in the world that do not have a permanent natural river flowing within them, though some of them have streams or seasonal watercourses such as wadis. These countries are mostly desert countries, where precipitation and water sources are sparse, and there is not enough water flow to create any real rivers or riverbeds. Some of these countries are just too small to have rivers, like many smaller islands, city-states, or have merely seasonal water flow, which does not technically qualify as a permanent river. The countries without rivers are:

• Bahrain
• Comoros
• Djibouti
• Kuwait
• Libya
• Malta
• Maldives
• Marshall Islands
• Monaco
• Nauru
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• United Arab Emirates
• Vatican City
• Yemen

It is important to note that some of these countries rely on alternative water sources, such as desalination plants or groundwater, to meet their water needs.